Gaya, March 31: When the district unit of Indian Medical Association and the police decided to hold a reproductive health camp, little did the organisers know that more than 3,000 men would queue up for free condoms.

Volunteers and doctors conceded that 3,000 (perhaps more) men from all age groups thronged the Itwan health camp yesterday right in the middle of the rebel hub in Gaya under Mohanpur police station area. According to D.K. Sahay, the secretary of the Gaya chapter of the IMA and a key organiser, the high demand for condoms meant that the idea of family planning had percolated to the grassroots.

However, social activist Lalji Prasad was not as upbeat about the numbers as he attributed the rush to the inefficiency of the public health system. Usually it is the responsibility of primary health centres to distribute condoms among residents. Prasad added that primary health centres in the area were non-functional. Gaya civil surgeon Chandra Bhushan, however, refuted Prasad’s allegation and stressed that the primary health centres in the district were more than dedicated to promoting population control measures.

He added that the district health officials were responsible for nearly 12,000 tubectomy operations in the past one year.

The civil surgeon attributed the madding rush to the tendency of villagers to grab anything that is being offered for free.