Who Are We Serving?: An Assessment of the Extent to Which Reproductive Health Services Serve Their Local Population in Seven Countries.

Jane Diamond, University of Southampton
Sarah A.L. Barnett, University of Southampton
Martyn Brookes, University of Southampton

Despite large efforts in the past few decades ensuring high class, affordable reproductive healthcare to all sectors of society remains an important challenge througout the world. This paper assesses, in seven countries, the extent to which reproductive health centres which are part of the Marie Stopes partnership are serving all sectors of their local population. In particular it focuses on teh extent to which the Marie Stopes model of financial and institutional sustainability, which provides a new framework for te delivery of reproductive healthcare works. The countries cover all regions in which Marie Stopes works: Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Tanzania and Yemen. The study integrates four types of data: exit interviews, household surveys, focus group discussions and stakeholder interviews and is based on fieldwork undertaken between June and August 2002.