5147.0: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - Board 9

Abstract #11798

South-to-South cooperation: Transferring Bangladesh experience to India

Abu Sayeed, MA1, Rakesh Agarwal, MBBS2, Renu Dasmana, MBBS3, Raspal Malhotra, MS4, Deirdre Strachan, MPH, DSc5, and Annelise Thornton, BS5. (1) Technical Assistance, Inc, Dhaka, 02130, Bangladesh, 617/524-7799, asayeed@citechco.net, (2) Child in Need Institute, Calcutta, India, (3) Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, Dehradun, India, 617-524-7799, N/A, (4) Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, Chandigarh, India, (5) Management Sciences for Health, Boston, MA 02130

Since the Local Initiatives Program (LIP) began in 1987, it has contributed to improving the quality of the health and family planning program in Bangladesh. It currently serves 2.35 million eligible couples and 1.5 million contraceptive users. The program's achievements are demonstrated through the measure of the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) for modern methods. In LIP areas the CPR is 65%, compared to the national average of 41.5% (BDHS, 1996-1997).

The LIP attributes its success to three approaches: 1) the partnership between government administration, community leaders, and health and family planning professionals, 2) the involvement of community leaders in the planning and implementation of health and family planning activities at the local level, 3) the participation of women community workers.

The LIP is an outgrowth of south-to-south transfer of technology and community development approaches from Indonesia to Bangladesh. The LIP, in turn, is now serving as a model in India, where three NGOs are developing pilot reproductive and child health programs in three areas of India: an urban slum in Calcutta, a rural area in Northwest India, and a remote mountainous area at the base of the Himalayas.

This presentation will describe the LIP approach in Bangladesh and how it is being adapted to the Indian context to ensure effective community involvement to improve the health status of women and children. Furthermore, the presentation will highlight the potential for implementing and expanding the LIP in new countries by means of south-to-south collaboration.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participants will be able to: 1. Articulate the reasons for success of the community based Local Initiatives Program in Bangladesh and why it serves as a model for replication in India 2. Discuss south-to-south collaboration, understanding the transfer of knowledge and technology from Bangladesh to three Indian NGOs 3. Conceptualize an adaptation of the Local Initiatives (LIP) model in their own country

Keywords: International Health, Family Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Technical Assistance, Inc. (TAI), Dhaka, Bangladesh Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, (HIHT), India Child in Need Institute (CINI), Calcutta, India Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development(CRRID), India Management Sciences for He
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: I am employed at TAI

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA