Bold plans to provide affordable family planning

Thursday, March 20, 2008 (The Mirror Pg 25)
By Rebecca Kwei
In a bid to provide quality and affordable family planning and sexual and reproductive health services, a social franchising project, known as Bluestar Healthcare Network, has been launched in Accra.
The network, a project of Marie Stopes International, a non-profit sexual and reproductive health organisation, will engage private health providers to contribute to the reduction of maternal mortality and morbidity by increasing access and utilisation of quality family planning services.
The private health providers include doctors, midwives, pharmacists and chemical sellers.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Hajia Alima Mahama, the National Co-ordinator for Early Childhood Development at the ministry, Mrs Ruth Addison, said it was important to have inter-agency collaboration and co-ordination in order to drive important agendas such as sexual and reproductive health.
The ministry, she said, was, therefore, happy with the involvement of the private sector in such an emerging issue, since it would go a long way to complement government’s efforts.
Reiterating the impact and importance of networks, she said they provided a platform for knowledge, best practices and experience sharing.
Additionally, networks served as useful entry points for the dissemination of information and the capacity building of members, she noted.
She said the issue of the survival of women and children was directly linked to their sexual and reproductive health and that “the provision of quality and adequate sexual and reproductive healthcare services will enhance the chances of survival for women and children who form the majority of the country’s population and the human resource production and development base”.
Hajia Mahama urged the network to foster good relationships with district assemblies and governmental agencies at the district and community levels, as well as traditional authorities, for the success of the project.
The Country Director of Marie Stopes International, Ghana (MSIG), Mr Ebenezer Aryee, said the organisation recognised the need to expand access to reproductive health services in the country, especially to the large group of communities which, for many reasons, remained under-served and were, therefore, vulnerable to maternal mortality and morbidity.
He said one proven approach the MSG had adopted in executing that mission was the social franchise network,
explaining that in social franchising, “we enter into partnership with these private providers and support them to be able to deliver services and information to Marie Stopes specifications”.
That partnership, he noted, was intended to bring reproductive health services and information right to the doorstep of those who need it.
Mrs Doris Attafua of Vicdoris Pharmaceuticals, a franchisee, said the lack of knowledge and available safe centres for sexual reproductive health education was making innocent victim prey to all kinds of ill advice, pressure and danger, adding, “Thanks to Bluestar, this information is right now with us in our very communities.”
She said the Bluestar training had helped the franchisees to be better informed in the laws and protocols of family planning and safe abortion care in Ghana and that they knew what their roles as pharmacists and chemical sellers were in providing sexual and reproductive health care according to the Ghana Health Services policies and protocols.
According to the Bluestar Manager, Ms Senanu Arkutu, as of now the network had 92 franchisees in Accra and Tema, comprising 30 chemical shops, 25 pharmacies and 37 clinics.
Between October and December 2007, 15 franchisees provided 31,388 clients with family planning products and services and 400 clients with long-term family planning methods.