Day 6. PSI

On our first full day in Delhi we had the pleasure to meet with Population Services International (PSI) to learn about their Women’s Health Project. The main goals of the project are:

1. to decrease maternal mortality

2. to increase the use of intrauterine devices (IUDs) from 3% to 4.1%, and

3. to increase access to medication abortion (MA).

With this project PSI hopes to empower women so they can make their own decision regarding their bodies and reproductive health.

I found this program to have a very sophisticated design; it targets all the important stakeholders in the community, including women of reproductive age, providers, pharmacies and the government. For instance, both providers and pharmacists are trained on how to disseminate information about both IUDs and medication abortion; and opinion leaders advocate for government support for IUD and MA use. PSI uses interpersonal communicators (IPCs) to educate women in the community about IUD use and the benefits of having a long term birth control plan. The main misconception and fear most women in the community have about IUDs is the idea of the IUD going up in their bodies and harm their health. IPCs clarify any other misconceptions women may have and answer any other concerns about the safety of the device.

Another interesting and impressive feature offered by this program is heir Helpline. PSI has made this toll free helpline available to women to call anytime with any questions and concerns, and it is also used to follow up women that have decided to get an IUD. About 600 calls are received each week. Impressive.

After we learned about all the features of their program we went out to the field to see it in action. We met with one of the providers and learned that when women go to her to get an IUD they never come with their husbands. In fact, in most instances their partners are not aware of her decision, and in 20% of the cases, when the partners find out they have the women remove the device. I was amazed. Men play a key role in a women’s decision making (at least here in India), and as such they should be equally educated and exposed to the benefits of the program.

Thank you PSI for a great learning experience!