N-MARC Publishes Training Manuals for Sangini Family Planning and Reproductive Health Services
AED’s Nepal Social Marketing and Franchise Project: AIDS, Reproductive Health and Child Survival (N-MARC) project recently published two important training and reference manuals that will support efforts to improve the delivery of quality family planning and reproductive health services through private pharmacies in Nepal. Nearly 2,000 private pharmacies participate in the Sangini (woman’s friend) “social franchise” network. Sangini pharmacies provide a broad range of family planning and reproductive health services, including contraceptive injections right at the store – a great convenience for Nepali women. The revised and updated Trainer’s Guide for 2-Day Basic Sangini Training (PDF, 3.7mb) and the Sangini Service Provider’s Reference Manual (PDF, 1.4mb) are used in training programs to ensure that Sangini providers deliver services, particularly the contraceptive injection, at the highest quality standards.
N-MARC collaborates with local partners Nepal Contraceptive Retail Sales (CRS) Company and the Nepal Fertility Care Center (NFCC) and international partner EngenderHealth in overseeing and implementing training and quality assurance programs for the Sangini franchise. The basic two-day training course provides instruction to pharmacy-based paramedics, nurses and midwives on how to provide information to clients on the benefits of family planning and birth spacing, the available family planning methods in Nepal, and how to prevent and treat sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. The contraceptive injection is discussed in-depth, covering techniques designed to improve service provision skills and management, enhance counseling techniques related to contraceptive choice, manage side effects, and prevent infection. The training program emphasizes referrals to private providers who are best equipped to address complications. The overall goal of the training is to standardize quality of care and service delivery across the Sangini network. The Sangini Service Provider’s Reference Manual serves as a complement to the training guide, with the objective of providing an easy resource for service providers after or between training sessions. The reference manual covers approaches for client counseling and informed choice, infection prevention, emergency contraception, STI treatment, and HIV prevention.
Posted February 2008
Read more about the Nepal Social Marketing and Franchise Project (N-MARC) project