Many family planning programs have gone far to improve access. They offer services and supplies not only in clinics and other medical facilities but also in retail outlets, community centers, places of employment, and homes. Not only do formally trained physicians and nurses offer services, but so do paramedics, pharmacists, traditional birth attendants, midwives, traditional healers, outreach workers, and shop keepers (110 , 126, 174). Access has continued to improve in recent years. For example, of 87 countries studied in both 1987 and 1992 by Population Action International and given scores from 0 to 100 based on access to family planning information and services, 33 increased their scores by 20 points or more, and another 24 raised their scores by 10 to 19 points. The most dramatic improvement in access took place in sub-Saharan Africa. Botswana showed the most improvement, gaining 49 points (131).

Family planning programs that have been particularly successful at making services widely available include those in Bangladesh, Colombia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. In Thailand, for example, almost everyone has access to a network of family planning services because service sites are many, good roads assure year-round access, and public transport reaches everywhere (12 ).