Unintended pregnancy remains a significant global health issue. A recent UNFPA report suggesting nearly half of all pregnancies, totaling 121 million each year worldwide, are unintended and more than 160 million women have limited access to contraceptives.
This critical problem extends to Thailand, where unintended pregnancy creates another major challenge. According to the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand’s teen birth rate in 2021 sat at 25 per 1,000 teenage girls aged between 15-19 years old, a decrease from 2020’s 28.7 per 1,000 females of the same age. Nevertheless, despite the decreasing rate, unintended pregnancies still need urgent addressing due to potentially leading to poor quality of births that further compound Thailand’s aging population issues.
According to the World Population Prospect 2022 report, TFR (Total Fertility Rate) in Thailand is lower than the replacement rate, which will result in population decline. In 2021, there were only 20 countries worldwide with a lower TFR than Thailand.
Partnerships and collaborations are crucial pillars to establishing long-term solutions to these issues.
Organon (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a leading pharmaceutical company for women’s health, recognises the significance of collective investments. This is clearly demonstrated in its partnering with a wide-ranging group of cross-sector organisations to drive the Smart Family project aimed at avoiding and reversing demographic trends, including unintended pregnancies, that post long-term challenges to the country.
“Since our founding, Organon has been committed to improving women's lifelong health and complementing women’s health,” explains Mr. Koen C. Kruijtbosch, Managing Director of Organon (Thailand) Co. Ltd. “In Thailand, we are particularly focused on issues of unintended pregnancy and low birth rates, which can have long-term socio-economic consequences and reduced quality of life.”
“Unintended pregnancy can disrupt women’s education and career goals and limit their earning potential. We also recognise how a low birth rate could result in additional burden being place on Thailand’s working-age population, who will face increasing pressure to care for the country’s youth and senior citizens. As Thailand is facing a gradual transition into an aged society, these issues require immediate action.”
Since its local establishment in 2021, Organon has been committed to working with all sectors to support and promote access to contraception, as well as disseminating useful knowledge and information to Thai women. This includes ongoing collaborations with Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health to provide credible and accessible resources around reproductive healthcare through social media, contributing to policy-driven projects, as well as awareness campaigns such as Kao Ta Jai Season 4 (a step-challenge virtual run), and joining the Ministry of Social Development’s Gender Fair to promote gender equality.
Organon was also an active participant in the APEC Health Working Group Policy Dialogue on Smart Families during APEC Health Week. It also collaborated with the Bureau of Reproductive Health under the Department of Health, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), and The Children and Youth Council of Thailand to host “World Contraception Day 2022” to build further awareness around birth control and family planning.
Organon’s work with both private and government sectors included the recent hosting of a symposium at the International Conference on Family Planning: ICFP 2022, announcing its commitment to work with all sectors to support access to contraception, as well as sharing useful knowledge and information with 100 million women in 70 low-to-middle-income countries around the world by 2030. The aim is to help prevent 120 million unintended pregnancies, 2.1 million infant deaths, and over 250,000 deaths from pregnancy.
Organon also recently launched a “We Are Tomorrow” mural project under its global “Her Promise, Our Purpose” campaign, aimed at addressing the unfulfilled health needs of women around the world. Designed and painted by the much admired female artist of Thai descent Ms. Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, the campaign saw Organon join with the US Embassy in Thailand, the Ministry of Public Health, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and UN Women to participate in its creation.
Committed to empowering women globally, Organon was recently awarded the CSR Excellence Recognition Award 2022 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (AMCHAM), as well as the UN Women 2022 Thailand Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) runner-up award for championing and promoting gender equality through community engagement and partnerships. These achievements reflect the company’s deep cross-sectoral collaborations, particularly in finding long-term and effective solutions that address Thailand’s unintended pregnancy and low birth rate issues.
Organon continues to join hands with numerous partners to listen to and meet women’s health needs and bring a better and healthier life to Thai women, their families and communities.
