In Tambaksari, Surabaya, the growing interest in long-term contraception is sending a clear message: people are ready to make informed choices about their reproductive health. The challenge now is making sure the health system is ready to meet that demand.
Nizmawati, a Family Planning Field Extension Officer (PKB/PLKB) in Tambaksari, has seen firsthand the enthusiasm of community members choosing Long-Term Contraceptive Methods (LTCMs). For her, the strong interest is an important opportunity—but one that must be matched by reliable services, capable health workers, adequate facilities, accurate data, and sustainable financing.
This experience reflects a broader priority for the Surabaya City Government: turning community demand for LTCMs into stronger, more responsive Family Planning and Reproductive Health (FPRH) services.
During a coordination meeting on strengthening the FPRH program, drg. Bisukma Kurniawati, M.Kes., Expert Staff to the Mayor of Surabaya for Community and Human Resources Affairs, together with Emma Agustina, Head of the Population Control and Family Planning Division at the Surabaya City Population Control, Women’s Empowerment, Child Protection, and Family Planning Agency (DP3APPKB), emphasized the importance of ensuring that high public interest in LTCMs is matched by a service system that is ready to respond. Bisukma said:
The interest of the people of Surabaya in using long-term contraceptive methods is already very high. Our main focus now is to ensure the readiness of the health service system, strengthen facilities, ensure sustainable budget allocation, and optimize data so that community needs can be met with quality.
This effort is part of the Family Planning and Reproductive Health program developed in collaboration with the Surabaya City Government through The Challenge Initiative (TCI) , which is implemented by the Jalin Foundation in Indonesia. Since Surabaya was selected as one of the first two cities to implement TCI in Indonesia, alongside Depok, the city government has gone through several stages, including a landscape analysis, Collaborative Program Co-Design, mentor capacity strengthening, and implementation preparation.
Through its Business Unusual approach, TCI, together with the Ministry of Population and Family Development/National Population and Family Planning Board (Kemendukbangga/BKKBN), does not seek to establish a new program or take over the implementation of government programs. Instead, its support focuses on strengthening existing systems through coaching, capacity building, data use for decision-making, and optimization of resources already available to the city government.
TCI also does not directly finance medical procedures. Rather, it supports local governments in strengthening their capacity to manage programs with greater independence and sustainability.
To support implementation at the local level, the Surabaya City Government has established a cross-sector Mentor Team involving DP3APPKB, the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), the Health Office, and the Association of Family Planning Extension Workers (IPeKB). The team supports program implementation in five initial intervention subdistricts, including Tambaksari.
Through the phased Lead–Assist–Observe approach, TCI supports the Mentor Team and the city government in strengthening the capacity of health workers and community cadres, utilizing data from systems such as SIGA and SIRIKA, and maintaining local government commitment to program financing. As local capacity continues to grow, the city government is expected to take an increasingly central role in leading program implementation and development.
The experience in Tambaksari shows that high demand for LTCMs cannot be addressed through service provision alone. It requires a prepared service system, competent health workers, accurate data, cross-sector coordination, and sustainable financing.
This is where collaboration becomes essential. For TCI, program success is not measured solely by the number of activities carried out, but also by the growing capacity of the city government to independently plan, implement, monitor, and develop FPRH programs.
Through a system-strengthening approach led by the Surabaya City Government, the program is expected to contribute to reducing unmet need for family planning toward the national target of 8.5 percent by 2029, while ensuring that people have access to increasingly quality and sustainable FPRH services.
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