RESOURCE SUPPORT SERVICES REPORT : EVALUATION OF THE DIRECT DISTRIBUTION OF CONTRACEPTIVE MATERIALS PROJECT (DDP),GUATEMALA (APRIL 18-26, 1978)

AUTHORS WERE REQUESTED BY USAID/GUATEMALA AND OTHERS TO ASSIST APROFAM IN ANALYSIS OF DATA RESULTING FROM YR-END, CLINIC-LEVEL EVAL PERFORMED BY APROFAM"S EVAL UNIT. REPORTED DATA MAY CONTAIN BIASES BECAUSE OF ALLEGED VISITS BY DDP PERSONNEL FAMILIAR WITH EVAL PROCESS TO CLINICS SELECTED FOR EVAL. THE DDP PROVIDES LOGISTICAL SUPPORT TO THE MSP PROGRAM. IT DOES THIS BY 1)DIRECT SUPPLY OF MATERIALS TO MSP CLINICS.AND 2)SUPPLY OF MSP AREA WAREHOUSES, WHICH IN TURN SUPPLY CLINICS. ANALYSIS OF DATA GENERALLY SHOWS DDP SUCCESSFUL IN STOCKING AND MAINTAINING CONTRACEPTIVE SUPPLIES TO MSP CLINICS, AND CLINICS RECEIVING SUPPLIES DIRECTLY FROM DDP TO BE BETTER PROVIDERS OF FAM PLAN SERVICES THAN WAREHOUSE-SUPPLIED CLINICS (KEEPING IN MIND QUESTIONS ON DATA RELIABILITY). MORE THAN TWICE AS MANY DDP-SUPPLIED CLINICS MAINTAIN SPECIAL FAM PLAN SERVICE HOURS. DDP-SUPPLIED CLINICS ALSO APPEAR TO BE BETTER SUPPLIED IN TOTAL NUMBER AND RANGE OF CONTRACEPTIVES. EVALUATION REVEALED MAJOR PROBLEMS IN AREAS OF CLINIC-LEVEL DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING NEEDED FOR DDP PROG MGMT. IMPROVING CURRENT REPORTING SYSTEM IS RECOMMENDED RATHER THAN EXPANDING PROGRAM, BECAUSE OF NEED TO ESTABLISH CONTINUOUS CONTRACEPTIVE SUPPLY IN RURAL AREAS FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS OF PROGRAM. OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE: 1)REDUCE NUMBER OF RESUPPLY VISITS BY ESTABLISHING MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM STOCK LEVELS FOR CLINICS; 2)EXTEND VISITING TIME OF DDP PERSONNEL TO PROVIDE MORE TECH ASSISTANCE TO CLINICS; 3)IMPROVE APROFAM"S OVERALL TECH ASSISTANCE TO NEEDY CLINICS THROUGH TRAINING, LITERATURE AND FILM SUPPLIES; 4)IMPROVE DDP REPORTING SYSTEM THROUGH NEGOTIATION WITH MSP ON ITS RESTRUCTURE; 5)AUDIT AND RE-ESTABLISH DDP ACCOUNTING SYSTEM. TABLES OF EVALUATION DATA (IN SPANISH) ARE INCLUDED AT THE END OF THE REPORT.