Impact Brief: Mali--Saving and Improving Lives Through Increased Access to Contraceptives, September 2014

In 2010, approximately 788,000 Malian women wanted to avoid or delay pregnancy, but they were not using an effective method of contraception. As a result, more than 226,000 women experienced an unintended pregnancy, which can have serious consequences for mothers and children. The consequences of unintended pregnancies in Mali were severe, with an estimated 650 women dying from pregnancy-related causes, 13,900 infants dying in their first year of life, and 7,100 children likely dying before their fifth birthday due to below-optimal birth spacing. To address this issue, the U.S. Government provided assistance to improve the country's health commodity supply chains and to better serve those who need family planning. From FY2009 to 2013, the U.S. Government spent over $4.8 million to purchase more than 5.9 million cycles of oral contraceptives, 1.6 million doses of Depo-Provera injectable, 61,000 implants, 36,000 Copper T-380A IUDs, and 3,500 sets of CycleBeads. The USAID Contraceptive Investment had a significant impact on Mali, preventing an estimated 353,000 unintended pregnancies, 39,000 induced abortions, 28,000 infant deaths, 15,000 child deaths due to improved birth spacing, and 1,000 maternal deaths. By avoiding the direct costs of unintended pregnancy and delivery care, and of treating complications from unsafe abortions, Malian families and the public health system saved an estimated U.S. $23 million in direct healthcare spending. The USAID investment also had a significant impact on the lives of Malian women and children, with an estimated 1.2 million Malian couples having access to modern methods of contraception. The USAID investment in supply chains is crucial to meeting the reproductive health needs of women in Mali and other countries in the developing world. Improving access to modern methods of contraception is essential to reducing the unmet need for family planning and improving the health of women and children. Through implementing partners, and in partnership with ministries of health and other organizations, USAID develops and strengthens reliable and sustainable public health supply chains by implementing robust logistics solutions, promoting supportive commodity security environments, procuring health commodities, and building lasting local capacity. The estimated impact of USAID Contraceptive Commodity Support in Mali, by fiscal year, is as follows: couple-years of protection generated by commodities shipped, unintended pregnancies averted, unintended live births averted, abortions averted, infant deaths averted, child deaths averted due to improved birth spacing, maternal deaths averted, and direct healthcare costs savings. The data shows a significant increase in the impact of USAID Contraceptive Commodity Support in Mali from FY2009 to FY2013, with a total of 1,223,900 couple-years of protection generated, 353,300 unintended pregnancies averted, 252,900 unintended live births averted, 39,300 abortions averted, 27,900 infant deaths averted, 14,700 child deaths averted due to improved birth spacing, 1,000 maternal deaths averted, and $22,594,600 in direct healthcare costs savings.