Rwanda made great strides in improving its previously faltering health care system, but family health services still had a long way to go.
Increasing Demand for and Supply of Non-Scalpel Vasectomies .
Poster | September 15, 2015
The USAID-supported Rwanda Family Health Project (RFHP), in collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Health, formed awareness campaigns to educate and increase demand for non-scalpel vasectomies. As a result of these efforts to increase access to vasectomy services, providers performed 380 non-scalpel vasectomies from 2012-2014.
Vasectomies are one of the most effective forms of contraception currently available, with a failure rate of 0.15 (typical use) as compared to 9.0 for oral contraceptive pills. The USAID-supported Rwanda Family Health Project (RFHP) worked closely with the Rwandan Ministry of Health to increase use of vasectomy by addressing issues related to demand for and access to the service. To help build demand, the project supported nurses and midwives who provide family planning services to participate in health-related community outreach events near their facilities. During these events, the providers gave information and conducted sensitization activities for community leaders and the general population to increase demand for vasectomy.
The poster was presented at the 2015 American Public Health Association Annual Conference.