September 21, 2006

Today, Romanian women in both urban and rural areas have a variety of safe, healthy, modern choices to help them plan for the future - their own, and that of their families.

One out of every three Romanian women aged 15 to 44 now uses a modern method of birth control - a major change compared to 1990, when less than 10% of Romanian women used modern, reliable contraceptives. Fewer women today rely on abortion for family planning, while birth rates have remained steady and have even begun to rise. Maternal mortality rates, especially those for mortality resulting from abortion, are falling.

A signing ceremony to confer the grant was held at the America Center at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest. U.S. Ambassador to Romania Nicholas Taubman signed the agreement on behalf of U.S. government. US Embassy Commercial Attaché Cindy Biggs signed as a witness to the grant agreement.

U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Taubman joined State Secretary Vlad Iliescu and Director of "Panait Sarbu" Maternity Hospital Prof. Dr. Bogdan Marinescu to open the conference at Bucharest's Hilton Hotel today. Dr. Robert A. Hatcher, an internationally-recognized expert in family planning and reproductive health and a professor at Emory University Medical School in the United States, also provided a keynote address.

The U.S. Government and Romania's Ministry of Public Health strongly encourage women to visit their doctors as soon as they suspect they may be pregnant, and to return for frequent check-ups throughout their pregnancies. Pre-natal check-ups are a good way to protect the health of both mother and child.

Ambassador Taubman praised the Ministry for supporting family planning in Romania, attributing the country's achievements to the strong partnerships between international donors, the Romanian Government, and civil society. He added, "I hope that you will all continue to build on those partnerships."

When Romania's national family planning program began in the early 1990s with support from the U.S. Government, it focused on 200 clinics in larger cities. Today, the program is nation-wide, with an emphasis on making safe, modern contraceptives available to women in rural areas as well as in major cities. More than 80% of Romanian communities now have at least one health care provider who has been trained in family planning and who distributes free contraceptives to the women and families who request them. Once known for its highly authoritarian pro-natalist policy under communism, Romania is now a regional model for countries developing modern family planning programs.

For more information, please contact: Jay Sorensen, USAID Press Liaison, 021 316 1222.

back to top ^

8 Septembrie 2006

Astazi, femeile din Romania - atat in sate cat si in orase - au acces la o mare varietate de optiuni moderne, sanatoase si sigure pentru a-si planifica viitorul - al lor si al familiilor lor.

Una din fiecare trei femei din grupul de varsta 15-44 ani foloseste astazi o metoda moderna de control al nasterilor - o schimbare majora fata de anul 1990, cand mai putin de 10% dintre romance foloseau metode moderne de contraceptie. Din ce in ce mai putine femei se bazeaza astazi pe avort pentru planificarea familiala, iar decesele materne, in special cele cauzate de avort, sunt in scadere. Mai mult, numarul nasterilor a ramas constant, iar in ultima vreme inregistreaza chiar o tendinta crescatoare.

In perioada 21-23 septembrie se desfasoara la Bucuresti o conferinta dedicata profesionistilor in planificare familiala, cu scopul de a sublinia aceste realizari si de a asigura continuarea lor. Conferinta este parte a Initiativei pentru Sanatatea Familiei in Romania, un program organizat in parteneriat cu Ministerul Sanatatii Publice, implementat de catre Institutul de Cercetare si Formare JSI, cu finantare din partea Guvernului American prin Agentia Statelor Unite pentru Dezvoltare Internationala (USAID).

Ambasadorul S.U.A., Nicholas Taubman, a deschis astazi lucrarile conferintei la Hotelul Hilton din Bucuresti, alaturi de Secretarul de Stat din Ministerul Sanatatii Publice Vlad Iliescu, si de Directorul Maternitatii "Panait Sarbu", Prof. Dr. Bogdan Marinescu. In deschiderea conferintei a luat cuvantul Dr. Robert A. Hatcher, un expert cu recunoastere internationala in planificarea familiala si sanatatea reproducerii, profesor în cadrul Universitatii de Medicina Emory din Statele Unite.

Guvernul American si Ministerul Sanatatii Publice din Romania incurajeaza femeile sa mearga la medicul de familie de indata ce cred ca sunt insarcinate si sa mearga la controale periodice pe tot parcursul sarcinii. Controalele prenatale periodice reprezinta cea mai buna metoda pentru a proteja sanatatea mamei si a copilului.

Ambasadorul Taubman a laudat eforturile Ministerului Sanatatii Publice pentru sustinerea planificarii familiale in Romania, mentionand faptul ca realizarile Romaniei se datoreaza parteneriatelor solide intre finantatorii internationali, Guvernul Romaniei si reprezentantii societatii civile. "Sper ca veti contiua sa construiti aceste parteneriate", a adaugat ambasadorul Taubman in incheiere.

La începutul anilor '90, a debutat programul national de planificare familiala in Romania, cu sprjinul Guvernului American, curpinzand 200 de clinici din marile orase. Astazi, programul dispune de acoperire nationala si vizeaza intensificarea accesului la metode contraceptive moderne pentru femeile din zonele rurale si din cele mai populate orase ale tarii. Peste 80% dintre comunitatile din Romania beneficiaza acum de cel putin un medic cu pregatire in planificare familiala care distribuie contraceptive gratuite femeilor si familiilor care solicita acest lucru. Cunoscuta in trecut pentru politica sa autoritara in favoarea natalitatii in timpul regimului comunist, Romania este astazi un model pentru regiunea in care se afla, pentru tarile care dezvolta programe moderne de planificare familiala.

Pentru informatii suplimentare, persoana de contact este Dr. Gabriela Paleru, Specialist pe probleme de sanatate, USAID, tel.: 021 316 1222.

sus ^