CONTENTS
Chapters
- Thirty Years of Family Planning Programs
- Family Planning Demand
- Contraceptive Access
- Choice of Contraceptive Methods
- Client-Centered Quality
- Communication
- Well-Trained Providers
- Program Leadership and Strategic Management
- Research and Evaluation
- Political Commitment
- Financial Resources
Population Reports is published by the Population Information Program, Center for Communication Programs, The
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland
21202-4012, USA
Volume XXII, Number 2
August, 1994 |
Assuring Contraceptive Supplies
No matter how many methods are theoretically available, people will
not be able to use them unless supplies of contraceptives are in the right
place at the right time. Without good logistics, stock-outs or inadequate
supplies often result (208). Meeting the challenge of providing good logistics
is important. Supply shortages cause people to become dissatisfied and even
force them to discontinue using contraception altogether. Thus, both in
national programs and at the international level, "the development of an
adequate logistics system should not be postponed" (21
). Recognizing the importance of this fact, USAID technical assistance for
logistics management has helped programs deliver family planning information
and supplies to clients regularly and reliably (117). A good logistics system
covers planning, procuring, transporting, storing, and distributing not
only contraceptives themselves but also any clinical supplies required to
provide high-quality services, such as rubber gloves for IUD insertion,
and informational materials for service providers and clients (69, 241).
As small family planning programs grow, they must coordinate logistics at
regional or national levels. For example, the Zimbabwe National Family Planning
Council has coordinated logistics management under a central organization
that is able to forecast national contraceptive needs, procure supplies,
and distribute them throughout the country (246). |
