Using Partnerships to Enhance Quality and Innovation

USAID/Nepal's N-MARC project uses partnerships for dissemination of contraceptive innovations

From July 31-August 2, 2007, USAID/Nepal funded the gathering of leaders from the public and private sector medical community to learn about the latest innovations in family planning products and services and to engage engaged in dialogue the current state and future of family planning and reproductive health services in Nepal. Funded through the Nepal Social Marketing and Franchise Project: AIDS Reproductive Health and Child Survival (N-MARC) and facilitated by the Nepal Fertility Care Center (NFCC), the 3-day residential workshop was the first of its kind in nearly six years. The workshop highlights N-MARC's unique public-private partnership approach for disseminating cutting-edge medical information to all stakeholders. By offering sophisticated information about modern family planning techniques to doctors, public servants and the commercial sector, N-MARC enabled discussions aimed at producing tangible health impact across all sectors.

Topics covered at the workshop included the essentials of contraceptive technology, including promising new methods for expanded method mix and choice, the role of effective counseling, and the importance of infection prevention. Emphasizing these new approaches encouraged a discussion and future application of the fundamental elements of 'quality of care'. Nearly 30 representatives from all health sectors attended the workshop including: Division Directors from the Ministry of Health and Population, leadership from the Nepal Society for Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Nepal Drug and Chemist Associations, international NGOs, and other N-MARC partners. Bringing together this multi-sector group of public health leaders ensured all sectors had access to the latest innovations in family planning, which is a hallmark of N-MARC's public-private partnership approach.

Besides acquiring the latest information in family planning products and services, workshop participants actively engaged in technical discourse on how the information provided could be incorporated into existing family planning programs as well as what new innovations could be introduced into Nepal. By incorporating public-private partnerships into all aspects of its program, N-MARC hopes to lead Nepal towards the rapid introduction novel family planning technologies and practices into Nepal's public and private health sector.

Posted October 2007