Improving Quality of Family Planning Services for an Urban Slum Population: Experiences from Bangladesh

Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Population Council
Ubaidur Rob, Population Council

To enhance quality of family planning services provided by NGO clinics in selected urban slum areas in Bangladesh, an operations research study was conducted. Findings suggest improvements in the service providers’ competence in client screening. Clients visiting clinics were offered informed counseling – most of the clients were provided with information on the effectiveness of the chosen method, how to use the method, possible side-effects and complications, and follow-up visits. Due to interventions, service providers were more likely to use BCC materials during counseling. Findings also indicate improvements in the providers’ interpersonal interactions with clients. It was observed that training on systematic screening enabled providers to identify client’s unmet needs for family planning and subsequently to provide those services. Key lessons learned are that training contributes to improvement of services, but for achieving the expected level of quality in services, effective supervision and encouragement from senior officials is necessary.