Costs and benefits of implementing family planning services at a private mining company in Peru
Foreit, K.G.; Haustein, D.; Winterhalter, M.; Mata, E. la
International Family Planning Perspectives 17(3): 91-95
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0190-3187 DOI: 10.2307/2133290Document Number: 316176
The mining industry in Peru employs around 5% of the country's work force. Although most mines provide curative health care and other benefits to employees and dependants, they seldom offer preventive health services or family planning, and are usually located in isolated rural areas in the Sierra, far from other health outlets that might provide such services. An analysis was made of the costs and benefits of providing family planning services at one such private mining company to the northeast of Lima, where the wives of miners were found to have high fertility, low levels of contraceptive use and widespread interest in limiting childbearing. An analysis of potential costs and benefits projected that the savings resulting from births averted would more than compensate for the costs of providing those services. Consequently, the company added maternal and child health and family planning services to its medical centre which had provided predominantly curative services. Within 19 months of programme implementation, contraceptive prevalence among miners' wives had risen by 14%, and the percentage of women relying on modern methods had increased from 16% to 40%. The results of the programme have convinced two other mines in the area to offer similar services. The wives of miners at a private mining company in Peru were found to have high fertility, low levels of contraceptive use and widespread interest in limiting childbearing. An analysis of potential costs and benefits of providing family planning services projected that the savings resulting from births averted would more than compensate for the costs of providing those services. Consequently, the company added maternal and child health and family planning services to its medical center, which had provided predominantly curative services. Within 18 months of program implementation, contraceptive prevalence among miners' wives had risen by 41%, and the percentage of women relying on modern methods had increased from 16% to 40%. The results of the program have convinced 2 other mines in the area to offer similar services.AS.