The impact and efficiency of the family planning programme in Thailand
Chamratrithirong, A.; Prasartkul, P.; Bennett, A.
Population Manager Icomp Review 1(2): 15-25
1987
PMID: 12283525 Document Number: 469589
Recent research was done to review the impact and efficiency of the family planning (FP) program in Thailand. The objectives of this work were to develop measures of program efficiency that would be useful in making administrative decisions in relation to program strategy, choice of methods, deployment of personnel and to sort out the relative contribution of program effects on acceptance and fertility, taking the socio-economic conditions into account. Thailand was one of the 1st countries to investigate alternatives to using doctors to deliver FP services. The positive response to this policy led to the concept of community based distribution of the pill. Also a study was initiated to assess the use of midwives and nurses to insert IUD's and to give injections. Models for the impact and efficiency model hypothesizes that the program inputs will have a greatest effect on FP acceptance than the environmental improvement. The results indicate overall contraceptive prevalence through the national FP program is the major source of influencing fertility reduction. The FP service infrastructure development and expansion has a direct impact on use. Also hospital based clinical contraception should be emphasized and health centers should be enabled to function like small hospitals in FP service delivery.