Nepal

FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES 5
Key Findings
Almost all (97 percent) health facilities in Nepal offer (that is, provide,
prescribe, or counsel clients on) at least three temporary modern family
planning methods. Government health facilities are more likely to offer
modern family planning methods than private health facilities.
Combined oral contraceptive pills, male condoms, and progestin-only
injectables (Depo) are the most commonly offered family planning
methods. Long-acting reversible contraceptives (implants and intrauterine
contraceptive devices [IUCDs]) are offered at half of health facilities where
family planning services are available.
Virtually all facilities where family planning services are available are able
to provide male condoms, oral contraceptives, and injectables to clients at
the facility. However, only around one in five facilities where family
planning services are available provide IUCDs and implants at the facility.
Ninety-five percent of health facilities that provide family planning methods
actually had every method they provide available on the day of the visit.
Overall, 16 percent of the interviewed family planning service providers
reported that they had received in-service training related to family
planning in the 24 months before the assessment
Just over 1 in 10 family planning service providers have ever received inservice
training on long-acting reversible contraceptive methods.
Hand-washing supplies were seen in just over half of health facilities
offering family planning services.
Overall, the environment for family planning counseling is poor. Visual and
auditory privacy and confidentiality were assured in only 6 percent of the
family planning consultations observed in the survey.
There was almost no discussion of sexually transmitted infections or
condoms during observed consultations. Method-specific side effects were
discussed in a little more than one in five consultations.
5.1 BACKGROUND
5.1.1 NHFS Approach to Collection of Family Planning Service Information
F
amily planning (FP) is profoundly important for maternal and child health and a key element in
upholding reproductive rights. Therefore, wherever maternal health, reproductive health, or child
health services are provided, facilities should strive to increase the appropriate use of family planning
and contraceptive services and to provide client education.
This chapter provides detailed information on how family planning services are delivered—
information that programs can use to improve the availability and quality of these services. It explores five
key areas relating to the provision of quality family planning services at health facilities in Nepal:
Availability of services. Section 5.2, including Tables 5.1 through 5.5.2 and Figure 5.2,
examines the availability of family planning services and how frequently these services are
provided.
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