المؤلفون: Shrestha BD; World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt., Ali M; Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland., Mahaini R; World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt., Gholbzouri K; World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt.

المصدر: Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit [East Mediterr Health J] 2019 Mar 19; Vol. 25 (2), pp. 127-133. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Mar 19.

نوع المنشور: Journal Article; Review

بيانات الدورية: Publisher: Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization Country of Publication: Egypt NLM ID: 9608387 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1687-1634 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10203397 NLM ISO Abbreviation: East Mediterr Health J Subsets: MEDLINE

مواضيع طبية MeSH: Family Planning Policy* , Family Planning Services*/organization & administration, World Health Organization/*organization & administration, Humans ; Mediterranean Region ; Middle East

مستخلص: Background: Family planning (FP) is a cost-effective public health and development intervention. Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), has one of the lowest contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) and high unmet need for family planning.
Aims: The aim of this review is to assist Member States in highlighting those areas that need strengthening to improve quality of FP services in information and commodity supplies.
Methods: A structured questionnaire focusing on FP services was sent to 22 Member States of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region between August and December, 2015. Sixteen (73%) countries responded.
Results: Family planning services are part of the basic health benefits package and are delivered at hospitals, primary healthcare centres and outreach clinics to all women regardless of their ability to pay in the majority of Member States. In 16 Member States the family planning/birth spacing (FP/BS) counselling and FP methods are provided by general practitioner/ family doctor, nurses and midwives. In many Member States the services are integrated with child health, STI and HIV services. In 16 Member States FP/BS is part of the pre- and in-service training programmes for all cadres of healthcare providers. FP/BS is actively promoted through effective social marketing of FP/BS methods in two thirds of Member States.
Conclusions: The findings of the survey indicate that national policies and programmes endorse FP to achieve national targets. Despite progress in many areas in FP services, many countries still struggle with weak implementation of FP programmes. There are also policy gaps for key vulnerable groups including the poor, the disabled and adolescents. This review highlighted policy and programmatic gaps required to strengthen those FP services that can help improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Special programmes for adolescents, refugees and persons with disabilities need to be streamlined and strengthened.
(Copyright © World Health Organization (WHO) 2019. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).)