Title: Issues in the financing of family planning services in Sub-Saharan Africa
Description: Major issues related to the financing of family planning services in sub-Saharan Africa are addressed. The report is addressed to policy-makers and program managers in African government and donor agencies active in health and family planning fields, and is aimed to identify gaps in the information base that will need to facilitate policy and program change. A series of policy briefs highlighting key issues are presented. This document is divided into 5 chapters. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the extensive unmet need for family planning services in sub-Saharan Africa with literature review in financing, health care context and regional diversity. Chapter 2 illustrates the large and growing gap between the need of family planning services and the availability of donor and government funds in response to this need. Included in this chapter are family planning needs information, cost estimation, and existing government expenditures. Chapter 3 discusses the increase in service fees for users of public sector and nongovernmental organization outlets with an evaluation of system performance. Chapter 4 explains the strategy of encouraging greater use of commercial sector with emphasis on the commercial development sector involvement in family planning service delivery. Finally, chapter 5 examines the strategy of reducing the costs of family planning services which includes the mobilization of underutilized capacity, elimination of unnecessary medical barriers and the integration of family planning and other reproductive health services.
Subjects: Birth control, Family planning services, Finance, Government Financing, Developing Countries, Economics, Economic aspects