FAMILY PLANNING

1. FAMILY PLANNING

2. Family Planning • Family planning services include methods and practices to space births, limit family size and prevent unwanted pregnancies. • Fertility by choice, and not by chance is a basic requirement for women’s health. • Fertility regulation is also a major element in aiding safe motherhood strategy. • reduces the number of unwanted pregnancies • decrease in the total exposure to risk of pregnancy • decrease in the number of unsafe abortions.

3. Goal • The goal of family planning is to assist couples and individuals of all ages to achieve their reproductive goals and improve their general reproductive health.

4. Objectives • To provide information, education and counselling to individuals and couples to enable them decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children • To provide affordable contraceptive services and make available a full range of safe and effective methods. • To provide information on child bearing · To assist couples to achieve pregnancy and have babies. • To prevent and manage RTIs including STI/HIV/AIDS • To promote Dual protection

5. Short term Condoms (male and female) Spermicides Oral Contraceptive pills (Combined & Mini-pill) Injectables – (3 monthly) Injectable (Monthly) Lactational Amenorrhoea Method (LAM) Long Term (Reversible) Intra Uterine Device Implants Natural Family Planning Method (Permanent /Irreversible) Tubal Ligation ♀ Vasectomy ♂ Family planning methods available in Ghana • Emergency Contraception

7. Acceptor rate by regions

8. Acceptor Rate (Regional variations)

9. Couple Years of Protection

10. Method Preference • Depo Provera, the most preferred contraceptive method decreased from 46.0% in 2005 to 44.3% in 2006 • Uptake for the male condoms increased from 20.0% in 2005 to 22.1% in 2006, while the combined pill also increased form16.7% in 2005 to 18.1% in 2006 • The consistent decline in IUD uptake was however halted in 2005, increasing form 14,874 in 2005 to 15, 490

13. Key Activities Forecasting • An annual exercise with technical assistance from USAID cooperating Agency –DELIVER took place in March 2006. This provides important information on programme performance in terms of Couple Years Protection (CYP) indicator and a crucial input in the Contraceptive Security Strategy and plan.

14. Inter Agency Coordinating Committee on Contraceptive Security (ICC/CS) Meetings • The Ghana National Contraceptive Security (CS) Strategy provide the approach and define the steps needed to achieve contraceptive security. • IEC/BCC • To improve male involvement in FP The “Real Man” Campaign was successfully launched by the Hon. Minister of Health on November 19th 2006. • Comprehensive Family Planning Training organized for 16 SP from Ashanti, Volta, Brong Ahafo and Western regions

15. Review of Family Planning Protocols Reviewed of the Family Planning Protocols. The draft document is being collated and will be circulated to reviewers for final comments. Funding was by Engender Health. Printing of WHO Eligibility Criteria Disk The disk which was put together by representatives of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Ghana Medical School, Reproductive and Child Health Unit of the Ghana Health Service and WHO Ghana Office was finalized. UNFPA provided funds for the printing of 5,000 pieces. These will be disseminated in contraceptive update workshops nationwide and distributed to service providers in the public and private sectors for use.

16. Other Activities • Regional Training in IUD Clinical skills and Programme Management • Reproductive Health Commodity Security Strategy (RHCS) for the West Africa Region. • Integration of Family Planning into HIV/AIDS A one-week workshop on integration of Family Planning into HIV/AIDS took place in Addis Ababa.

17. Challenges • Diminishing Support to Programme • Activities • Commodities • Commodity Security Issues • Rumours, Myths and Misconceptions • Need to “Reposition” Family Planning

18. Key Challenges • Late reporting and incomplete reporting from some regions • Contraceptive Security Issues • Funding gap for commodities still exist - not definite on source of funding • Male condom to MOH/PPAG by DFID ended in 2006. • Total stock out of specific commodities due to delays in procurement • Norigynon (combined Injectable contraceptive) • Neo Sampoon (vaginal foaming tablets) – No funds to purchase item. • Low and declining uptake of Female Condom

19. Key Challenges • Lack of funding for planned activities. • Programme Vehicle almost unserviceable. • Programme officer who assists with the programme took on a tutors’ job after training and needs to be replaced.

20. Planned Activities for 2007 • Completion of FP Protocols • Training of Trainers in Contraceptive Update at National. • Facilitation of downstream training Contraceptive Updates in the Regions and Districts • Finalization and implementation of the Financial Sustainability Plan for Contraceptive Security • Forecasting • Quarterly Contraceptive Security meetings • Comprehensive training in Family planning • Training of Public Sector Pharmacists in FP to increase cadres and improve access to FP services • Method Specific trainings e.g introduction of Jadelle (two-rod implants to replace Norplant), Minilap and Vasectomy • Sourcing of funds for the re-launch of male and female condoms • Repositioning of FP Document

21. Thank You for Your Attention! Presented by: Dr. Gloria Q. Asare (National Family Planning Programme Coordinator) Reproductive & Child Health Unit Ghana Health Service “Family Planning for a Better Life”