National family planning service guidelines. Contraception
Knauff, L.; Muhuhu, P.
Africa Health 14(3): 12-13
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0141-9536 PMID: 12288907 Document Number: 520832
This paper examines the role of the Program for International Training in Health (INTRAH) in the development of national family planning service guidelines throughout sub-Saharan Africa. INTRAH noted that the service managers, trainers and service providers lacked a common set of references to guide family planning service development, provision, training and evaluation. This was evident from the great variations in family planning service delivery practices and procedures and working conditions, and considerable confusion about what constituted an acceptable level of family planning service coverage and quality. In response to this problem, INTRAH conducted a series of technical assistance program in Botswana, which resulted in two ministry-sanctioned service and training-directed guidance documents. These documents include a national family planning service policy and a set of standards to accompany the policy statements, and a set of family planning service guideline that operates the policy and standards. These documents are available at all government-sponsored family planning service sites, and service providers are expected to use them as references for service planning, provision and evaluation. In addition, INTRAH assists ministries of health to organize for and prepare drafts of country-appropriate service guides and guidelines with an emphasis on in-country working groups.