East Africa Toolkit: Services & Supply
Special Family Planning Day(s)
Special Family Planning Day (SFPD) is a day set aside to offer free family planning (FP) services.
The SFPD approach increases access and availability of quality FP services in areas with dense population over weekends, during secondary school holidays or public holidays.
It is a collaborative effort where skilled health care providers, equipment and FP commodities are made available on a pre-announced day and time in a catchment area known to the community.
Why Are Special FP Days (SFPD) Important?
The SFPD serves as a goodwill from health care providers who provide services over the weekend to support community access to FP services. Most government health facilities and services are offered only during the week (Monday to Friday), making FP difficult to access for some groups.- Increases reach to underserved populations by bringing services closer to where they live and work at convenient times.
Tupange Pamoja is using Special FP days:
- At the facility level to increase access to FP/AYSRH programs
- At the community level to support communities’ access to FP services
Evidence
Some of the program results realized from conducting special FP days include:
- Kigamboni District reported a total of 905 clients reached with FP services during a period of three months (Source: Program Data – January to March 2019). Of this number, 75% (682) were first time users.
Guidance: How to Conduct a FP Special Day
- Identify and prepare a schedule for the special FP day (SFPD). Ideally, services should be provided close to high volume sites such as market places. The site should be clean and private for provision of FP/AYSRH services.
Tip: Use existing schools, community buildings to set up for services where appropriate facilities are lacking. Ensure a smooth supply of commodities and supplies. Sanitation is very critical to ensure proper infection prevention and control.
- Select the skilled providers to offer FP/AYSRH services at the community level. The FP/contraception services to be provided and the SFPD team should include nurses, doctors, counsellors and a supervisor from CHMT.
- Conduct mobilization using community health workers to inform community members about the SFPD schedule. This can be through door-to-door mobilization or use of megaphones and distribution of informational materials.
- Ensure that methods are provided with appropriate quality of care including recommended infection prevention practices at the site.
- Monitor the quality of services and ensure correct reporting. The facility-in-charge or designated person is responsible for these tasks.
- Evaluate activities of the day and incorporate learnings and feedback when planning for next SFPD.
Key Outcomes
- Increased number of FP acceptors
- Reduced myths and misconceptions at community level around FP
- Increased number of SFP days conducted
Monitoring Processes
- Number of clients receiving contraceptive services
- Disaggregate by first time users, age and parity
- Number of facilities conducting services days
Success Indicators
- Increased number of clients receiving FP services within catchment area
- Increased number of adolescents/youth (AYs) receiving contraception services within catchment area
Cost
- Hire of tents where there are no rooms
- Logistics
- Allowances for health care providers
Sustainability
- Ensuring that the days are included in the city annual work plans
- Facility in charges organize the services as part of their routine activities
- Health care workers mentored on provision of quality FP/contraception services
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