Introduction of emergency contraceptive pills in the public health system of Pakistan : a south-to-south collaboration

The collaboration consisted of a three-day visit by senior managers from the Pakistani health authorities to Bangladesh to familiarize them with the EC program in that country, followed by a two-day consultative meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan to draw up concrete plans for introduction of the method into the Pakistan system. The consultation was attended by local stakeholders, regional experts from countries in South Asia with experience of introducing EC (Nepal, Bangladesh and India), and by Population Council staff. Participants at the consultation developed plans to introduce EC into both community-based distribution and clinical programs. The plans included staff training, commodity logistics, and development of Information, Education and Communication Materials, many of which will be adapted from materials used in other EC projects in the region supported by FRONTIERS. The Minister of Health personally pledged the ministry"s support for the effort and UNFPA agreed to support the procurement of the EC commodities. The method will first be introduced in the twenty districts covered by the USAID-funded Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project, which is implemented by a consortium led by the Population Council. The activity successfully met its goals. Providing South to South technical assistance was demonstrated to be an effective strategy for introducing sensitive services and is recommended for other regions and similar services. (Author abstract)