Subject(s)
Medicine , Physicians, Family , Specialization , Counseling , Family Planning Services , Germany, EastSubject(s)
Family Practice/standards , Quality of Health Care , Family , Female , Germany, East , Humans , Male , MarriageSubject(s)
Abortion, Legal , Aftercare , Ambulatory Care , Female , Germany, East , Humans , Medical Records , PregnancyABSTRACT
PIP: Founded in 1963, the marriage and family planning department under the leadership of its chairman, K.H. Mehlan has grown in its number of members (220) and in its sphere of activities. With the help of the Health Department it has increasingly taken on the responsibility of implementing family planning programs in the German Democratic Republic. Laws concerning abortion and sterilization were liberalized to women's advantage and a serious attempt was made to provide new, effective mechanical, chemical, and hormonal contraceptives. Marriage and Sexual Counseling centers were set up throughout the country. From 1965 on development conferences were held annually in Rostock. A major propaganda compaign for family planning was initiated with national and local press specials, television and radio programs, and lectures and conferences throughout the republic. In 1967 the department was accepted in the IPPF. In 1968 the department was given status as a separate and independent one. In 1971 demography and fertility were included in the curricula of the medical schools. Specialized organizations concentrated on training and further education of family planning workers and specialists. In 1971 an international seminar was held to discuss family planning in socialist countries, and in 1972 abortion was legalized and an attempt was made to instruct youth in the most effective methods of contraceptives.^ieng
Subject(s)
Family Planning Services , Counseling , Germany, East , OrganizationsABSTRACT
PIP: The marriage and family planning counseling duties of the Bereichsarzt (area physician) in the German Democratic Republic are described. He works closely with the marriage and family counseling services of his area as a medical specialist concerned with the physiological and psychological aspects of marriage and family life. He refers patients to the appropriate specialized agencies as a part of his general duties in preventive medicine. In addition, the area physician helps to train counseling personnel in sexual physiology and psychology, equip the counseling center, and coordinate the work of several specialists on a single case.^ieng
