Staff from a community-based organization coach PPMVs on documentation data in Plateau State.
A new article in Global Health: Science and Practice explores The Challenge Initiative’s (TCI) efforts to enhance access to quality contraceptive services for adolescents and youth in Nigeria through new partnerships between proprietary patent medicine vendors (PPMVs) and primary health centers (PHCs). PPMVs are private sector drug shops that are significant providers of family planning services, particularly for short-term contraceptive methods. TCI supported four state governments in Nigeria to establish these public-private partnerships and ensure services provided by PPMVs were of high quality and complied with regulations. TCI’s support also included improving PPMV referrals to PHCs for long-acting reversible contraception.
Implementing a hub-spoke model, high-volume PHCs were connected with neighboring PPMVs to provide enhanced youth and adolescent contraceptive services. TCI supported the state governments (Edo, Niger, Ogun and Plateau) to select PPMVs and PHCs for partnering, and then helped conduct whole-site orientations (WSOs), strengthen referral systems and data collection, and implement supportive supervision. The intervention also included strengthening the capacity of PPMVs to better address the reproductive health needs of adolescents, who prefer the convenience and confidentiality of PPMVs.
As a result of TCI’s support to the four states, significant increases were observed in the contraceptives dispensed by participating PPMVs, which indicates improved access and adherence to regulations. The evidence also indicates that continued public-private partnership between PPMVs and PHCs ensures sustained improvements in youth contraceptive service provision overall. Overall, the findings underscore the potential of public-private partnerships to address gaps in contraceptive service delivery and improve reproductive health outcomes for adolescents and youth in Nigeria. The article’s authors concluded:
The PPMV intervention demonstrates the promise and potential of effective collaboration between PPMVs and PHCs – through integrated WSOs, government-led supportive supervision visits, referral systems, and efficient data management.”
“Improving Contraceptive Service Quality and Accessibility for Adolescents and Youth Through Proprietary Patent Medicine Vendors in Four Nigerian States” was written by: Dorcas Akila, Oluwasegun Akinola, Olukunle Omotoso, Saori Ohkubo, Adewale Adefila, Philemon Yohanna, Nwanne Ikodiya Kalu, Adebusola Oyeyemi, Olubunmi Ojelade, Aisha Waziri, Winifred Kwaknat, Olusola Solanke, Bernard Emonena, Oluwafemi Rotimi, Lisa Mwaikambo, Victor Igharo, Lekan Ajijola, and Krishna Bose.
