VisayasHealth Project Year 4 Quarter 2 Progress Report (January 1 – March 31, 2016)

A major accomplishment during the reporting period was the implementation of a strategy to reduce high levels of unmet need for FP among poor women. Using tools developed by VisayasHealth, women in poor households with an unmet need for FP were identified and visited by trained community volunteers. These women were invited to visit certain health centers on specified dates for FP services after they have undergone group education sessions and individual counseling. Twenty-one fully functioning facilities with the capacity to provide a wide range of FP methods and services implemented this approach with great success. Of 2,309 women identified with unmet need, 1,097 were provided with FP services based on their method of choice. Another key project milestone from this past quarter was the significant increase in FP benefit payments by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC). Previously, FP reimbursement claim payments were small because most trained providers were not given training certificates by the Department of Health (DOH), a necessary component to file FP claims at PHIC. Project efforts to increase the capacity of health facilities to offer long-acting and permanent methods (LAPMs) of FP continue to gain ground with the addition of 82 providers who have benefited from VisayasHealth technical assistance (TA). A total of 284 facilities are now able to provide at least two LAPMs, enabling Visayas men and women to have more FP choices. While reporting completeness is at 61% for the reporting quarter, many end-of-project levels have been met for demand generation and for stock-out levels for pills and injectables. Year 4 benchmarks for supply enhancement are on track and are expected to be met by the end of the current fiscal year. However, with the continuing Supreme Court Temporary Restraining Order on implant distribution and service provision, VisayasHealth benchmark for Couple Years Protection is significantly underachieved at 12% of its Year 4 desired level. Efforts at expanding other LAPM services will be made to address this gap. The project's unmet need reduction strategy involves identifying women with an unmet need for FP among poor households utilizing community volunteers who go to assigned households and interview women. Those identified as having an unmet need for FP are referred by community volunteers to health facilities on a specific day that is dedicated to counseling and the provision of FP services. In this reporting quarter, 21 municipalities were able to implement the FP unmet need reduction strategy. The concerned VisayasHealth staff trained the local health providers and community volunteers in the use of the unmet need identification tool. After the training, the health staffs and volunteers visited the poor households in accordance with the listing provided by the local social welfare agency. Women with an unmet need were then referred to the health center for counseling and service provision. The health center staff dedicated a special day for this purpose. As of this report, a total of 2,309 women were identified as having an unmet need for FP. Of these, nearly 48% or 1,097 were provided with the FP services of their choice. The project's efforts to increase the capacity of health facilities to offer LAPMs of FP have resulted in the addition of 82 providers who have benefited from VisayasHealth technical assistance (TA). A total of 284 facilities are now able to provide at least two LAPMs, enabling Visayas men and women to have more FP choices. The project's technical assistance (TA) has also supported the issuance of training certificates for providers who have received training in FP, resulting in a significant increase in FP benefit payments by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC).