Medical experts are raising concerns that health professionals—particularly those involved in family health services—often fail to inform mothers about the potential side effects of birth control pills when prescribing them. Neera Wickramasinghe, a Professor of Modern South Asian Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands, claims that some health workers do not mention key side effects and may even avoid responding to questions about them.
Experts also emphasize the need for better training of family health workers in government hospitals, aiming to make the healthcare system more inclusive for women from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds, including unmarried mothers. Dr. Susie Perera, a senior consultant at the World Health Organization, points out that midwives in certain hospitals do not sufficiently recognize unwed mothers’ needs, underscoring a gap in both awareness and support.
While Sri Lanka has already abolished the requirement for parents to be married when registering a child’s birth, specialists argue that additional measures must be taken to ensure greater recognition and acceptance of mothers who do not fit traditional norms. This includes enhanced training for healthcare providers to address diverse patient groups more effectively and offer full information on medical options—such as birth control pills—so women can make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
