In many countries, the public health sector is the main provider of sexual and reproductive health services. While the quality of these services varies dramatically across countries, we often see that reaching those with the greatest unmet demand for contraception and those at the greatest risk of unsafe abortion can be a particular challenge.
Many people live in areas where the public health system is their only means of accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare. For this reason, a large focus of our work in these countries is on strengthening this system, using MSI’s considerable experience globally in the provision of comprehensive rights based sexual and reproductive health. In 2022, 6.1 million people accessed reproductive healthcare from government facilities supported by MSI.
At MSI, we partner with the public sector to build capacity and embed quality assurance mechanisms, working towards national ownership of comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare.
MSI’s public sector strengthening work focuses on building public sector provision by tailoring programmes to governmental needs and requests.
This varies from hands-on training, quality assurance, and supportive supervision programmes with government providers, to more indirect organisational support, such as training-of trainers. Regardless of the model, our aim is to close skills and coverage gaps in public sector provision, building sustainable access to a full range of contraceptive methods, as well as safe abortion and post-abortion care.
Providing SUPPORT to Timor-Leste
We use our expertise and knowledge on reproductive and sexual health services to feed into public health design projects in Timor-Leste, under the SUPPORT project. This project aims to increase access to high-quality family planning services at public health facilities across Timor-Leste.
Partnering with local, regional and national governments
Our work with the public sector focuses on building public sector provision by tailoring programmes to governmental needs and requests. Regardless of the model, our aim is to close skills and coverage gaps in public sector provision, building sustainable access to a full range of contraceptive methods, as well as safe abortion and post-abortion care.
Partnerships
Every day, in every country where we work, we see our services restricted by unnecessary regulation and stigma. This prevents people from seeking and receiving the care and services they so desperately want. In response, we are playing an ever more active role in working in partnership helping to remove these restrictions and to ensure that the progressive policies that do exist are understood and implemented.
