The potential increase in the availability of injectables offers family planning programs the opportunity to set up accessible, good-quality services. Some programs have offered injectables for many years and now are strengthening services. Others for example, in Turkey and the US are offering injectables for the first time. If a program decides to offer injectables or expand services, it needs to ensure that the choice of an injectable and of every other program method is continuously and widely available, provided safely, and offered without unnecessary restrictions on who can provide it or use it.
Program managers face a number of issues specific to injectables.
Setting Up Services Introducing a new contraceptive and expanding services are formidable tasks. Programs need to train providers, deliver supplies to clinics and other outlets, and start communication campaigns. Training and communication each can take 18 months or more to set up. Getting injectables and other contraceptives to clinics can take six months to a year or more from the time that they are ordered. Many programs conduct pilot studies or operations research to gauge potential users' response to injectables.