Saving Women's Lives

Strengthening Reproductive Health Services through Primary Health Care Network (LAO/02/P01)

The Context

Gaps in reproductive and sexual health care account for many illnesses and premature deaths among Lao women of reproductive age, especially among the poor and/or ethnic minority groups living in rural or remote areas. They lack access to quality services including modern family planning (FP) methods, emergency obstetric services and services for the prevention and management of sexual transmitted infections (STIs). About 40% of all couples remain under-served, especially in terms of family planning. More than 75 percent of births in the last five years received no antenatal care and less than 25 percent were attended by health professionals (acc. Lao Reproductive Health Survey 2000). Improving access to reproductive health (RH) care and knowledge can not only reduce mortality and illness among women, it can reduce gender inequality and help sustain a balance between population, resources and socio-economic development.

The Project

The evaluation of the previous project recommended improving service quality, broadening the range of services offered, and fully integrating all services into the service delivery system at all levels, including community level. The project aims to achieve these recommendations with the following outputs:

•  Increased availability of a core package of quality integrated RH services and counselling, including FP, antenatal, delivery and post-natal care, reproductive tract infections and sexually-transmitted infection (STI) services, prevention of HIV/AIDS and management of post-abortion complications in selected districts of Saravan, Sekong and Attapeu provinces, with a special focus on members of ethnic groups;

•  Nationwide availability of FP services for women, men and adolescents in the public sector; and

•  Strengthened technical and managerial capacity of relevant counterpart offices of the Ministry of Health for the management of RH programmes and development of behaviour change communication (BCC) materials and programmes.

Update On Achievements

•  The percentage of women of reproductive age receiving family planning services at government facilities increased from 5.8% in 1997 to 28% in 2004;

•  The percentage of Service Delivery Points providing at least three family planning methods grew from 87% in 2003 to 92% in 2004;

•  Improved monitoring and management of contraceptives through the Logistics Management Information System;

•  Improved client access through expanded outreach activities integrating health services such as the Expanded Programme on Immunization, malaria and RH;

•  The final draft of the National Reproductive Health Policy has been submitted to the Minister of Health;

•  Improved coordination between and among local stakeholders through the establishment of a
sub-office in Saravan; and,

•  Streamlined management and financial channels through direct provincial accounts in line with decentralization.

 

Official Facts

Site: For FP: nationwide. For the RH core package: Saravan, Sekong and Attapeu

Duration : 2002-2006

Implementing Agency : Mother and Child Health Centre, Ministry of Health.

Financial Facts

UNFPA: US$ 4,000,000

Government:   US$ 400,000

Total Budget:   US$ 4,400,000

Japan: US$ 300,000 (contraceptives)