Suchergebnisse

Some coitus‐dependent methods of family planning, such as withdrawal, periodic abstinence, and the condom, require male involvement for their use, and using these methods in combination has proved to be sensible. An investigation of why male and female respondents in a survey conducted in Bangladesh often gave conflicting answers about which methods they were currently using, particularly about "traditional" methods and condoms, showed that inconsistency in their reports arose because these methods are used in combination to such an extent that they are difficult to distinguish. In order to obtain reliable responses about these methods, a survey approach different from the long‐established one is required.

Since the mid-1970s, the Bangladesh national family planning program primarily focused on motivating women to use modern contraceptive methods and encouraging them to seek services from clinics. In addition, female field workers were recruited to deliver contraceptive methods at homes. The program design facilitated women's access to information and medical care through clinics and home visits. In the process, however, the medical needs of males were marginalized. Men generally seek services from pharmacies, private practitioners, and district hospitals, and often ignore preventive steps and postpone seeking medical care for chronic health conditions. In cases of acute illness, they often resort to self-medication. As noted in this report, the study's aim was to integrate male reproductive health services within the existing government female-focused health-care delivery system. The study concluded that reproductive health services for men could easily be integrated into the health and family welfare centers without affecting the clinics' focus on serving women and children.

Over the last 30 years, Bangladesh's national family planning (FP) program has mainly concentrated its promotional efforts on women's adoption of FP. While the government policy has been effective in influencing women to accept contraceptive methods, men's role in FP has been completely neglected. Similarly, male RH services are hardly available at Health and Family Welfare Centres (HFWCs). This report describes a project aimed at integrating male RH services within the existing government female-focused health-care-delivery system. The study was implemented by NIPORT in collaboration with the Directorate of Family Planning and the Population Council. Interventions resulted in a substantial rise of male clients in the clinics, however nearly all came for the treatment of general health problems. Only a small number of male RTI/STI clients sought services from the clinics. Although unexpected, there was a substantial rise in the number of female clients. The study concluded that RH services for men could be easily integrated into HFWCs without affecting the female and child focus of the clinics and that augmentation of the total number of patients at HFWCs will lead to more effective use of resources and decreased cost of treatment.

The findings of this study suggest that with improved training for survey data collectors, sisterhood and household deaths methods are viable approaches for measuring pregnancy related mortality. However, wide confidence intervals around the estimates indicate that routine sample surveys cannot provide the information needed to monitor progress towards the MDG target. Other approaches, such as inclusion of questions about household deaths in popular censuses should be considered. (DSE/GIGA)

Over the last 30 years, family planning programs in Bangladesh have primarily focused on women. While government policy has been effective in influencing women to accept contraceptive methods, the role of men in family planning has been completely ignored. The aim of this study was to integrate male reproductive health services within the existing female-focused health care delivery system. The study used a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design with eight clinics as intervention sites and four clinics as control sites. Interventions included training for service providers, elevating awareness about reproductive tract infections (RTIs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and providing RTI and STI health care services. Interventions resulted in a substantial rise of male clients in the experimental clinics. Nearly all male clients came in for treatment of general health problems. Only a small number of male clients requested RTI/STI services from the clinics. Urethral discharge was the most common complaint among males. An unexpected and substantial rise in the number of female clients was observed, most likely due to the synergistic effects of interventions.