5046.0: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - 8:30 AM

Abstract #13340

Barriers and inducements affecting provision of family planning services by private GPs in Morocco

Asma Balal, MBA, MS, Daniel Kress, PhD, and Ratha Loganathan, MPH. International Health Area, Abt Associates, CMS project, 4800 Montgomery Lane, Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-5341, 202-220-2160, abalal@cmsproject.com

Background: In Morocco, the private sector accounts for 37% of the family planning services. Pharmacies are the predominant source of contraception supply in the private sector and the General Practitioners’ (GPs) contribute little to this figure. The existing body of research on provider behavior is very limited and even fewer studies are available on the financial barriers and inducements affecting private providers in developing countries. This study addresses some of the key issues related with provider incentives and barriers in the provision of family planning services. Methodology: Data is being collected through key informant interviews with private GPs. The sample includes 30 GPs serving the C and D income categories in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. Results: For reasons of volume and low willingness to pay on the part of consumers, family planning and preventive health services do not carry significant financial incentives for the private practitioners. The general attitude of providers towards family planning has a direct bearing on their likelihood of offering these services. The study results confirm the prevailing provider perception of relatively low profitability of family planning services. The study also identifies some of the factors that can potentially create incentives for provision of family planning by the private GPs. These include establishing private provider networks, integrating family planning with other health services, and providing technical/ management assistance to the private providers.

Learning Objectives: 1)Determining the factors affecting provision of preventive health services such as family planning in the private sector 2)Identifying incentives that would encorage private provision of preventive care services

Keywords: Providers,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA