Developing more effective family planning, family health and family welfare programmes: opportunities for government-NGO collaboration. Executive summary and policy implications
Donaldson, P.J.; Cernada, G.P.
Population research leads 1992(42): 1-2
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0252-4503 PMID: 12286306 Document Number: 239401
In the Asia and Pacific region, national and large city governments have provided most family planning, family health, and family welfare services since the early 1950s. The leading reason for government involvement continues to be that governments have adequate resources to set up and administer large enough family planning programs to achieve government objectives of lower fertility and slower population growth. Many of these government programs have indeed increased contraceptive use, reduced population growth, and decreased fertility. On the other hand, these programs often use coercive tactics to persuade couples to accept family planning. Other negative parts of these programs are inadequate monitoring, slow to improve service quality, limited contraceptive choices, improper service provision, inadequate information for and counseling of clients, and inadequate follow up of acceptors. Some reasons for these negative aspects are insufficient resources, too much emphasis on new acceptor recruitment, lack of recognition of the importance of continuing contraceptive prevalence, and too little emphasis on client satisfaction. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have also helped in the evolution of family planning, family health, and family welfare services in the Asia and Pacific regions. They have provided policy and programmatic innovations serving as new models to governments. NGOs can take the political heat off of political leaders who are anxious about those who resist family planning. NGOs tend to provide a broader mix of contraceptive services than do government programs. Increased use of working groups and expansion of operations research on NGO programs can strengthen collaboration between governments and NGOs. The working groups with specialists from government and NGOs could examine service delivery problems and propose solutions.