Summary

In this Study Session, you have learned that:

• The provision of family planning services is dependent upon the integration of services throughout the health care system starting from the community level to specialised referral hospitals. In addition to outpatient clients, family planning counselling and service should be made available to post-partum, post-abortion women, individuals with disabilities. All health workers providing family planning services should have contraceptive, clinical and counselling skills.
• The most common approaches to family planning service delivery comprise primary health care facilities, hospitals, and community-based distribution, which include commercial retail sales, door-to-door service delivery, and workplace distribution.
• All health institutions in Ethiopia, rural and urban, hospitals, health centres, health posts, and both government-operated or private should provide family planning services.
• Collection of pertinent information on family planning using document review, interview, and discussion is critical in improving the provision of family planning services. Provision of education, mobilisation of communities, providing sustained family planning counselling, Strengthening and implementing coordinated family planning services are some of the roles of health extension workers.
• A strong supply and distribution chain of contraceptives gives women the confidence that their preferred contraceptive option will be available when they take time away from work and their families to travel to their local health clinic.