孟加拉国卫生部长萨达尔·萨卡瓦特·侯赛因周三表示，为控制人口增长，该国将于12月1日起开展为期一年的宣传活动，将避孕用品直接送到民众家中。这场由总理塔里克·拉赫曼发起的宣传活动以“最多两个孩子，一个更好”为口号，旨在提高民众获取避孕手段的便利性，并为其提供有关计划生育的信息与咨询服务。
Bangladesh will launch a year-long campaign from December 1 to make contraceptives available at people’s doorsteps as part of a government push to contain population growth, Health Minister Sardar Sakhawat Hossain said on Wednesday. The campaign, to be launched by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman under the slogan "no more than two children, one is better", aims to expand access to contraceptive methods and provide people with information and counselling on family planning."
侯赛因称：“我们将在提供必要指导的同时，把避孕用品直接送到民众家中。”他指出，计划生育目前是该国工作的薄弱环节，“我们在这一领域做得远远不够”，而此次宣传活动则旨在通过未来一年的集中努力来解决这一问题。
Contraceptives will be made available at people’s doorsteps alongside the required advice," Hossain said. He said family planning has emerged as "our weakest area as we could not do much in this regard", and the new campaign would seek to address the issue through intensified efforts over the next year."
“令人遗憾的是，原本较低的出生率如今已上升了2%以上，”侯赛因说道，“我们不会仅仅停留在口头呼吁上，而是会切实向民众提供各类避孕用品，比如避孕药片。”此次举措正值孟加拉国试图重振计划生育计划之际。据Worldometer统计，目前孟加拉国人口总数已逾1.7842亿，是全球人口第八多的国家。该国国土面积约为14.846万平方公里，人口总数约占全球总人口的2.1%，平均人口密度则达到每平方公里1366人左右。
Unfortunately, the birth rate, which was once low, has increased by more than 2 per cent," he said. "We will not just talk about it; rather, we will also supply and deliver all kinds of (contraceptive) materials such as tablets to people’s doorsteps," Hossain added. The announcement comes as Bangladesh seeks to revive momentum in its family planning programme. According to Worldometer, Bangladesh’s population is estimated at more than 178.42 million, making it the world’s eighth most populous country. The country has a land area of about 148,460 square kilometres. Its population accounts for around 2.1 per cent of the world’s total, while the average population density is about 1,366 people per sq km, the website said.
一年前，联合国人口基金曾对孟加拉国计划生育计划的成效与挑战进行过评估。该机构当时指出：每在计划生育领域投入1美元，孟加拉国便可节省约14美元的医疗与社会开支，同时能减少30%的孕产妇死亡案例，并使意外怀孕率下降三分之二。
The government’s move comes a year after the UN Population Fund highlighted both the achievements and challenges in Bangladesh’s family planning programme. In a report last year, the UNFPA said that for every USD 1 invested in family planning, Bangladesh could save USD 14 in health and social costs, prevent 30 per cent of maternal deaths and reduce unintended pregnancies by two-thirds.
“孟加拉国的计划生育事业取得了巨大成功：现代避孕方法的使用率从20世纪70年代的8%大幅上升至64%，”报告指出。不过报告也提到，近期这一进展出现停滞，导致该国约有500万妇女的避孕需求未能得到满足。总体而言，这项行动旨在将避孕药具、相关建议及咨询服务直接送到普通家庭手中，以帮助孟加拉国应对出生率上升的问题并弥补计划生育服务供给上的不足。
"Bangladesh’s family planning journey has been marked by extraordinary success, with the use of modern contraception methods soaring from 8 per cent in the 1970s to 64 per cent," it said, while adding that progress had recently stagnated and left about five million women in the country with an unmet need for contraception. Overall, the campaign is aimed at taking contraceptives, advice and counselling directly to households as Bangladesh tries to tackle a rise in the birth rate and address gaps in access to family planning services.