Bolivia – Overview of Country Activities:
The Institute for Reproductive Health works in
collaboration with EngenderHealth to support activities
related to scaling up access to the Standard Days
Method. This includes training providers, monitoring
services, collecting service statistics, and providing
public sector clinics with materials. The SDM
has been included in the norms of the Ministry
of Health (MOH) since 2001 and in 2004 it was
added to the services covered by the MOH’s
public health insurance policy, which means that
the SDM is provided at MOH clinics without cost.
Presently, the SDM is available in seven of nine
departments nationally with extensive coverage
in terms of trained providers in the public sector.
There are over 1,300 Ministry of Health (MOH)
providers trained and nearly 4,000 users. Ongoing
efforts include follow-up training and support
as well as working with local coordinators to
foster internal capacity for providing technical
assistance. In the private sector, collaborative
efforts with six NGOs that are part of the USAID-supported
PROCOSI network led to a growing number of SDM
users and increased access to the method, particularly
in areas where MOH coverage is weak. There are
504 trained SDM providers in the private sector
and nearly 8,000 users.
Photo Gallery:
Partners:
- EngenderHealth
- Ministry of Health
- PROCOSI
Country Updates
The Institute is in the process of implementing
an information campaign to increase awareness
and demand for the SDM nationally. This campaign
will feature radio spots, print materials, and
a large interpersonal component, and will be the
first time that any significant IEC has been done
on the SDM in Bolivia. It will be evaluated to
determine its success in transmitting key messages
to the public about the method, such as its availability
and that it is an effective and simple family
planning option. A baseline survey revealed that
nearly one third of the couples in the areas where
the campaign will take place are using some form
of natural family planning.
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