The reproductive health indicators in Moldova have improved during the last few years, but the efforts could be hindered by the economic crisis, Deputy Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Moldova Boris Galca said at a news conference held on July 10, before the World Population Day, Info-Prim Neo reports. There are signs that the economic recession could prevent the people from asking for medical assistance, the young women are more often involved in casual relations and commercial sex, while the young families postpone giving birth to the first child or even decide to have a single child. The HIV infection rate rises at an alarming rate. All these can lead to a demographic decline, Boris Galca said. In times of economic recession the budgets decrease and investments in the healthcare sector diminish. The UNFPA forecasts that a global family planning deficit of $10 million will lead to another 1.8 million dangerous abortions and 19,000 maternal deaths. The universal access to family planning services could save the lives of about 175,000 women yearly, the UNFPA says in a communiqué. “Therefore, the UNFPA calls upon the decision makers to continue the population and development policy designed to reduce poverty, the maternal death rate and the infant mortality rate, and to ensure access to education and family planning services. Considerable investment is needed in the area of maternal assistance, to outfit the maternity hospitals with modern equipment,” Glaca said at the conference. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Moldova’s population during the first half of this year has increased, while the death rate remained at the same level as in 2008. 2,000 children were born in Moldova over January-June this year. The number of marriages has increased, while the number of divorces has fallen. The largest number of persons aged over 60 live in northern Moldova, while the lowest number in the south of the country, said Nina Cesnokova, head of the Demographic Statistics Office of the National Bureau of Statistics. On the occasion of the World Population Day, the UNFPA has opened a photo exhibition at the Press House in Chisinau to show the impact of the economic crisis on the communities in Moldova. It also organized a fact-finding visit to Drochia town, where the journalists collected facts about the activity of the Maternity Center “Ariadna” and the Woman’s Health Center “Ana”. The World Population Day is marked on July 11. The world population now totals over 6.7 billion.