Japan-Nepal Health and Tuberculosis Research Association (JANTRA) implemented the Women’s Health Project (WHP) Phase IV, OK+ network branded franchise from 1st July, 2017-31st December 2018 with the aim to increase access and use of Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC), particularly Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) and access to safe medical abortion services through Gynecologist/Obstetricians(OB/GYNs).

With the aim of increasing access to safe medical abortion services and IUCD to wider women, JANTRA commenced expanding the OK+ network by enrolling OBGYN. Enrolling OBGYN in the OK+ network, it was aimed to provide an increased visibility of IUCD as an effective non-hormonal and economic long-term family planning contraceptive choice for women. Likewise, the main purpose of bringing OBGYNs into the board was their competency to support in decreasing incidences of unsafe abortions and resulting morbidities and mortalities by providing MA services to women who seek such services. Since PSI/Nepal is also advocating increasing access to SAS through qualified private providers as per the GoN’s SAS implementation guideline and expanding the accessibility to SAS. Currently, irrespective of the guideline, mid-level healthcare providers from the private sector are not able to get either the required training or be listed as SAS providers. This has resulted in limited access to legal facilities and quality care. Despite abortion being selectively legal, the high incidence of morbidities and mortalities related to unsafe abortion is still a reality, and PSI/Nepal through JANTRA has worked to decrease such incidences.

Goal

This project aims to improve maternal and child health in Nepal by increasing the contraceptive prevalence rate, specifically by increasing access to IUCDs and decreasing unsafe abortions and related morbidities and mortalities by improving access to safe medical abortion services.

Key Achievements

• Established working relation with OB/GYN
• Created an extensive awareness among WRA on safe abortion and its accessibility through OB/GYNS (reached nearly among 8000 WRA to aware about the safe abortion)
• Strengthened the collaboration among private hospitals 
• Able to change the behaviour of OB/GYNs to provide family planning services
• Strengthened the recording and reporting of private hospitals 
• Capacity enhancement of OB/GYNs through trainings and QA/SSD 
• Strengthen a linkage between the OK+ networks and the community people
• Strengthened the counselling of family planning in the private hospitals