The Health Ministry will carry out a family planning and nutrition program for internally displaced persons in Vanni welfare camps. The main focus of this campaign is on pregnant and breast feeding mothers as well as the large number of women who have married at a young age.

 This program will be initiated on August 19 at welfare camps. Under the family planning initiative, the Health Minister has instructed the doctors of the Bureau to create an awareness among the women in camps on the importance of family planning, a Health Ministry spokesman said yesterday.

The Bureau was instructed to attend to their requests for Tubectomy operations, administration of the Depo-Provera vaccines and handing out birth control pills, on request, he said. 

 Approximately 50% of the internally displaced are women. "One of the main reasons for their poor nutritional condition is early marriage. If they are to produce healthy babies, they should be strong", the spokesman pointed out.  

 Breast feeding and pregnant mothers suffer from anemia and worm trouble. They require nutrition to be healthy and give birth to healthy babies. The mothers will be given three- posha, a nutrient which is also given to babies and young children, and the BP100 special biscuit, the spokesman said.