Recorded presentation

Dana Aronovich, MHS, DELIVER Project, John Snow, Inc., 1616 N. Fort Myer Dr., 11th Floor, Arlington, VA 22209, (703) 528-7474, dana_aronovich@jsi.com and Jeffrey Sine, PhD, The Futures Group International, 1050 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036.

BACKGROUND: The concept of contraceptive security, or ensuring a continuous supply of contraceptives so that every person is able to choose, obtain, and use quality contraceptives whenever s/he needs them, is a critical component of family planning programs. Without a reliable and high quality supply of contraceptives, programs can not provide quality services to meet their clients' needs. Program managers and international donor agencies need to know if their programs are progressing toward contraceptive security in order to ensure their success. A methodology has been developed to measure the level of contraceptive security in developing countries based on a set of indicators covering the primary components of contraceptive security. These components include health environment, finance, logistics management, supply/access, and utilization. These indicators are compiled to establish a composite score for approximately 40 countries, which can be used to compare countries or to monitor overall progress across time within a country. CONCLUSIONS: The CS Index is a powerful tool for raising awareness about contraceptive security. The index is a useful guide for advocating for more rational resource allocation by country governments and global donors and lenders. This index can be used to rank developing countries by their level of contraceptive security and underlines the importance of contraceptive security to family planning program outcomes. Because the methodology highlights broad areas of strengths and weaknesses, in-country policymakers and international donors can target their resources more effectively and appropriately to achieve a more secure supply of quality contraceptives.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to

• Define contraceptive security and explain its relevance to family planning program outcomes.
• Discuss the common framework for contraceptive security and its different components.
• List the indicators to measure contraceptive security in developing countries.
• Describe how the Contraceptive Security Index can be used to measure contraceptive security and for advocacy to improve resource allocation by country governments and global donors and lenders.

Keywords: International Reproductive Health, Policy/Policy Development

Related Web page: www.deliver.jsi.com

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.

Recorded presentation