Successes and problems in family planning administration: experiences in two districts of Kerala, India

The administrative organizations of the Ernakulam and Malappuram Districts' family planning programs during 1970-74 and the ways they dealt with typical problems of program organization are examined. Lack of personnel, poor staff morale, inadequate supplies, and political and religious opposition to various contraceptive methods, especially sterilization, existed to varying degrees in both districts' programs. The Ernakulam experience, involving mass sterilization camps that were part of an overall district development program, documents the effectiveness of a strong central leader. The Malappuram program illustrates, in contrast, the handicaps of poor areas where development programs were just beginning and administrative resources were overtaxed.