‘Stabilise population now’

THE government must start planning now to stabilise the population growth which is growing at a rate of 3% per annum.
Gynaecologist and obstetrician Prof Glen Mola said: “Time is running out but, at the moment it’s not the current size of population that PNG can’t cope with, it’s the rate of population increase.
It cannot keep up with services and infrastructure required.
“A fast rate of population increase also increases the dependency ratio and makes it impossible to provide fulfilling work for the vast numbers of young people coming up through the population pyramid.”
Mola recommended that the government must:
* Develop and articulate a long-term population strategy with time and numerical goals;
* Real leadership for the next generation; and 
* Satisfy the unmet need of family planning, particularly tubal ligation and vasectomy services.
He said in order for PNG to avoid entrapment as a result of a population boom, people must be provided with ways and means to plan and limit their families nationwide and for the re-establishment of the population council at the National Planning and Monitoring Department.
“Make population planning an integral part of every developmental project in the same way that environmental clearance is currently required and consider introducing small family inducements into government policy,” he said.
“Most people understand that we have a population problem but they cannot translate that to themselves.
“As far as people are concerned, they were better off in 1975 than they are now.”
In his presentation, Population and Resource Matching Mola outlined some of the signs of entrapment in the PNG society today and they included beggars, pollution, overcrowding, spread of diseases, rise in crime, corruption, aid dependency and deterioration of education and health services.
He also acknowledged the work of non-governmental organisations like Marie Stopes PNG that specialises in sexual and reproductive health.
Mola encouraged media representatives at the gathering last week to work together with Marie Stopes to promote population stories and build up awareness on family planning.