Program announced to increase contraceptives use to 71.6% in 2020

CAIRO - 26 February 2020: A planned parenting program will be launched in May with the aim that it raises the use of contraceptives from 58.5 in 2014 to 71.6 percent in 2030.

Sahar al-Sonbaty, head of the Population and Family Planning sector at the Health Ministry, said on Tuesday that the program will be applied at public and central hospitals, providing all kinds of contraceptives for women. The women will also be linked to their local health units to follow the program.

The program will first be applied in Cairo, Giza, Qalyubia, Asyut, Sohag, Sharkia, Port Said and Alexandria. The second phase will include Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Qena, Aswan, Dakahlia, Damietta, Gharbia, Ismailia. The third phase will include the less populated governorates, Menoufia, Kafr el-Sehikh, Beheira, Suez, Luxor, New Valley, Red Sea, north and south Sinai.

A workshop was held by the health sector, the health insurance, educational institutes, specialized medical centers and the UN Population Fund to raise the efficiency of the service providers.

Contraceptives will be available at delivery departments of hospitals and linked to the family planning clinics to assure that the service is continued.

Service providers will be trained on offering information and comprehensive advice during prenatal visits and right after delivery. The program will be complemented with media and promotional material that explain planned parenthood and its positive impact on families and the society.

The Egyptian population hit 100 million in 2020. The population growth in Egypt is considered one of the highest rates worldwide due to high birth and fertility rates, compared to lower death rates, which led to a population pyramid with a broad base of the population below the working age.

A government after another has complained about the population boom versus development. Most recently, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli said the population increase represents the biggest challenge before the state, calling on intensifying awareness campaigns in cooperation with state agencies to control overpopulation, as he referred to the problem as an issue of "national security."

The number of population in Egypt reached 9.7 million in 1897, while the number evolving to hit 89.6 million in 2015, according to official data issues by CAPMAS.

Cairo is ranked Egypt's most populated governorate with 9.924 million persons, followed by Giza with 9.75 million people then Sharqia with 7.536 million, CAPMAS pointed out.
South Sinai governorate got the last place in terms of Egypt's population with about 108,742 persons, followed by North Sinai with 450,528 people and then Matrouh with 477,172, it noted.