Naya Qadam: To increase Post pregnancy Family Planning services through the public and private sectors across Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan

Abstract

Background:  Early and close-spaced pregnancies threaten the health and well-being of Pakistani women, including their newborns and families. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18 revealed that 34% of births occur within a birth interval of fewer than 24 months, and 64% of women have an unmet need for family planning during their first year postpartum period. Interpregnancy interval increases the risk of adverse maternal and child health outcomes, including maternal mortality, neonatal mortality, and undernutrition in children. To reduce the risk of adverse maternal and child health outcomes, the World Health Organization recommends a 24-month interval between birth and the next pregnancy.

Methodology: To improve health outcomes, Pathfinder implemented a 4-year-long Naya Qadam (A new step) project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project aimed to increase access to high-quality postpartum family planning and post-abortion family planning with a focus on young women aged 15-24. The project operated in six districts across Sindh and Punjab.

Results: Pathfinder trained 1,890 healthcare providers, of which 1,283 were from the public sector, while 607 service providers were trained from the private sector. A total of 7,300 lady health workers were trained to counsel and refer married women for postpartum and post-abortion family planning services across 1,000 public and private health facilities that Pathfinder upgraded to enable them to provide quality care. During the intervention, 140,550 women received postpartum family planning services, and 51,183 accessed postabortion family services.

Conclusion: The project successfully improved health outcomes and established a sustainable model for postpartum family planning and postabortion family planning services. The project contributed to a significant increase in the uptake of postpartum and post-abortion family planning services. The project's success was built on a foundation of partnerships with national and international stakeholders, and its holistic approach to improving family planning service delivery ensured that women across the intervention districts had greater access to high-quality, person-centered family planning services.