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The Government of Myanmar provided new information on its progress in April 2017.  Read the revised update here.

In July 2016, the Government of Myanmar shared an update on progress in achieving its policy, financial and program and service delivery commitments to FP2020.

The government reports performing the following activities in support of its program and service delivery commitment:

• In an effort to implementing a monitoring system to strengthen quality of care, the government of Myanmar agreed to—during the discussion for nationwide Implant training—the Lead FP Working Committee agreed to use a post training assessment form and quality control checklist with technical support from JHPIEGO and PSI as part of monitoring effectiveness. An assessment study on implant removal will also be conducted by MOHS and JHPIEGO to highlight the quality of care in service provision.
• Myanmar is working continuously on strengthening its logistics management information system to ensure reproductive health commodity security. Since 2014, RH Commodity Logistic System was being implemented in 12 townships. In 2016, with technical support from JSI and financial support from UNFPA, 55 townships under Shan (South) and Mandalay regions are having the LMIS expanded. To cover all other State/ Region, The funding gap to cover all other states and regions still exists and is under the negotiation of the MOHS with 3MDG fund.
• Nationwide Implant Training will be provided to health care providers in public in 2016 through a public-private partnership approach. The Total Market Approach for FP is being conducted by PATH in collaboration with MOHS and UNFPA. Introduction of Sayana Press in Myanmar is still going on in collaboration with UNFPA and other private partners. UNFPA will be supplying 0.8 million doses of Sayana Press in 2016 and, with the MOH’s lead to get pre-registration waiver, Sayana Press initiation program begin in the second quarter of 2016. This will increase additional users of modern method of contraception.
• To improve the monitoring system of family planning, the capacity building of M&E officers was carried out with the support of the Track 20 team and Consensus Building Workshops were conducted since last year to get consensus among stakeholders and discuss data utilization, data monitoring, private sector involvement, and other monitoring issues.

The Government of Myanmar provided new information on its progress in April 2017.  Read the revised update here.

In July 2016, the Government of Myanmar shared an update on progress in achieving its policy, financial and program and service delivery commitments to FP2020.

The government reports performing the following activities in support of its financial commitment:

• During the 2015-2016 budget year, the Ministry of Health could procure US $0.56 million worth of contraceptives and spent US $2.8 million for all logistics of maternal and reproductive health (records, registers, and maternal medicines).
• According to the Government of Nepal’s budget for 2015-2016, the total health budget was 753.001 billion kyats.
• The Ministry committed to scaling up the reproductive health commodity logistics system to two states and regions out of 17 states and regions in this year and then nationally through harmonizing it into the national system.
• To improve the monitoring system of family planning, capacity building of M&E officers from Myanmar was carried out with the support of Track 20 team and Consensus Building Workshops were conducted since last year with all FP stakeholders.

• Aman Foundation, through the Sukh initiative is committed to share best practices and research to aid evidence based decision making. The intention is to share the best of time practices for family planning project scale ups and sustainability with potential users of the information. The Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University as a measurement partner for Sukh Initiative, is to provide an external and independent measurement of program impact through a cross sectional survey of a sample population within the 1 million intervention population in the form of a baseline and an endline. Program impact will be measured as per the objectives and program goals outlined and agreed upon in the Sukh program framework. The measurement partner will conduct a mid-term assessment of program progress towards identified goals and also an independent analysis of progress monitoring and PMIS data on an annual basis and participate in an annual review of program progress. A dedicated position of Manager Research and Metrics has been introduced to the Sukh initiative with sole responsibility of identifying and developing research questions and hypotheses and with program data to identify best practices and evidence based impact studies. The activity is to commence from 2015 when field level service data becomes available for a meaningful and effective sample study.   

• To increase the ambit of Sukh strategy and build on the success of different models implemented in the country, Sukh Initiative has evolved an exclusive technical body which is widely represented by the Sindh Government, development partners, technical experts both from public and private sector. This body aims to create synergy between different stakeholders including the government departments in Sindh. Sukh is also working at the community level through more than 200 community base organizations. To create an enabling environment for family planning services, Sukh is working in close collaboration with the provincial Departments of Health, Population Welfare, Education and Youth Affairs, to strengthen the existing systems in the intervention areas and play a leadership role in advocating for the sustainability of its objectives.

• [Aman Foundation's family planning] program will promote longer term, more effective contraceptive methods. Sukh through increasing MCPR will motivate new users to adopt family planning for the first time, and encourage users of traditional methods to switch to more reliable modern methods. The connection between increased MCPR and reduced maternal mortality rates is well established, as is its direct contribution to lowering the total fertility rate. To improve quality of services to increase access to family planning, Sukh strengthens the quality of services locally available and will develop capacity of maternity homes to offer quality post-partum and post abortion family planning services. Jhpiego as implementing partner will work with public sector facilities to improve access to FP services (by method) and with improved quality of service.

• One of the multiple service provision levers for the Sukh project is Family Life Education through Aahung, a local organization with previous experience in working with young girls and boys in communities on the sensitive issues related to maternal health, marriage rights and communication. Sukh will include door to door counselling and service delivery through Aman Community Health Program, to educate and inform the family planning clients on importance of family planning, choices available for family planning supplies, health hazards and other healthcare topics. In addition, Aman TeleHealth a 24-hour round the clock, 26-desks Health Helpline services over 3 shifts with medical advisors, counselors and doctors, will provide health advice and referral information over the phone. This will empower and encourage women and youth in particular, to avail the widely used mobile phone services to seek timely medical counseling that otherwise would not be accessible to them.

In August 2016, the Government of Kenya shared an update on progress in achieving its policy, financial and program and service delivery commitments to FP2020.

The government reports performing the following activities in support of its program and service delivery commitment:

• The voucher system, originally committed to as part of the Government of Kenya’s 2012 commitment to Family Planning 2020, has been replaced by the free maternal health care which is provided in all public health facilities.
• No new youth empowerment centres have been established, and information and communications technology services have been scaled up in these empowerment centres; however, provision of reproductive health services is still quite weak due to the lack of youth-friendly services in these centers.
• With the change in governance structure, devolution has increased participation of local communities in decisions at the local level. Health services are devolved and county health managers are directly involved in formulating their priorities. Public participation is ensured through representation by the members of the county assemblies as well as in public hearings during budgeting process. The national government continued to provide resources to health facilities through the Health Sector Services Fund which is managed by local committees.

Advocacy continues to encourage more women to use family planning as well as to dispel myths and misconceptions. This was done through the media, peer groups, mobilization for out-reach services and by observance of global days e.g. the World Contraception Day.

The Government of Kenya had a temporary loss of the family planning budget line following devolution, however this is being addressed and the government has allocated USD $500,000 as a line item for family planning commodities in the year 2015-2016, [and] this will be scaled up in coming years.

The supply plan requirements for 2015-2016 are estimated at USD $8,946,016. The MOH has secured funding for the country’s needs this fiscal year with the Government of Kenya contributing USD $1,851,432 and donors providing USD $ 7,094,584.

There are, however, funding gaps in the following areas:

• Training county staff on Implanon NXT
• Supporting counties to develop costed plans for family planning
• Capacity building of county staff on commodity reporting
• Sustained advocacy in the counties

The Government of Kenya's Health Sector Services Fund has continued to provide funds directly to dispensaries and health centers. These health facilities are managed by facility committees drawn from the local community.

The country has reviewed the Adolescent Reproductive Health and Development Policy during the year, and young people participated in the review and development of the new policy.

Most of the policies and strategies reported last year are under review.

In July 2016, the Government of Malawi shared an update on progress in achieving its policy, financial and program and service delivery commitments to FP2020.

The government reports performing the following activities in support of its program and service delivery commitment:

The government of Malawi’s activities in support of developing a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health program for young people include the following:

• Malawi conducted an assessment and evaluation of Youth Friendly Health Services in 2013, and the results of which were disseminated in July 2014. These results were used to develop a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Strategy for Young People.
• The newly developed standalone National Youth Friendly Services Strategy of 2015-2020 was endorsed by Senior Management Committee in the Ministry of Health in August 2015 and officially launched in September 2015. It is now a guiding document that is used for implementation.
• In addition, the National Standards on Youth Friendly Health Services 2015-2020 was finalized in October 2015. The revised Youth Friendly training manual is currently in the final stages of its development.

• In addition, the Ministry of Education has included age appropriate sexual and reproductive health information in primary school curricula as part of life skills education which pupils and implementation commenced in September 2014.

The Government of Malawi through its partners namely Population Services International (PSI), Banja La Mtsogolo (BLM), Strengthening Outcomes through Private Sector (SHOPS), and the Family Planning Association of Malawi (FPAM) has partnered with these organisations, which are engaging private clinics to provide family planning services by training the staff and providing FP commodities at a highly subsidized rate to those who are able to pay at all levels of health care delivery system. In approximately 308 private clinics, personnel have been trained in the provision of long-acting and reversible contraceptives throughout the country out of the targeted 300.

One of the core features in the management of the country’s health care delivery system is to ensure that there is an effective and integrated supply chain system. The Government of Malawi, through the Ministry of Health, with financial and technical support from donor partners is strengthening the forecasting and data management through several efforts:

• Training of all health personnel managing health products (medicines and other medical supplies) at all levels of health supply systems in Logistics Management Information System. The purpose of these trainings is to ensure that correct and timely data is available to make informed decision regarding supply chain
• Decentralization of the forecasting exercise commenced in 2013 where districts are now provided with technical knowledge and skills to conduct district forecasting and quantification. This forecasting is consolidated into a national forecast. All activities to ensure that there is a coordinated forecasting and data management in supply chain are ongoing and regularly monitored and evaluated to increase the efficiency.
• The supply chain for all commodities has greatly improved; family planning commodities are supplied to health facilities using consumption data based on Logistics Management Information System reports from each district and the distribution list compiled at a central level. By February 2014, stock out rates for family planning commodities were below 10%.
• Training of health personnel in managing health commodities in logistics management information system are still on-going with a bias towards family planning commodities at all levels.
• The Ministry of Health through Health Technical Support Services-Pharmaceuticals continues to take the lead in coordinating forecasting and health commodities data management at all levels of service delivery points.
• The supply chain for all commodities continues to improve greatly with family planning commodities stock out rates averaging below 5%.
• Districts are now encouraged to pull health commodities especially family planning commodities as to when their stocks are low though distribution lists are still compiled at central level. This is one way of ensuring districts are empowered in forecasting their requirements and ably manage their drug budgets.
• There is a Reproductive Commodity Security (RHCS) steering committee that meets on quarterly basis. Its composition includes different directorates in the Ministry of Health, Regulatory bodies, Private sector and professional association. The RHCS steering committee review issues of stock status, stock outs and advices on strategies that can be taken.

The Ministry of Health has engaged community and traditional leaders through the following activities:

• The Government of Malawi through the Ministry of Health has developed and endorsed a Health Promotion Policy where advocacy on increased community participation including FP services is mainstreamed through different local structures including the Traditional Chiefs Committee, Police Victim Support Unit and Community Action Groups (CAG). With the elections of Councilors and Chairperson of District Health Councils in all 28 Districts, the Ministry of Health appeals for more resources to orient them in monitoring and supervising all structures in mainstreaming FP championing.
• The Ministry of Health, through UNFPA with RMNCH Trust Funds, conducted advocacy with Ward Councilors, Chiefs, Church Leaders, Members of Parliament, CSOs, and village Maternal and Neonatal Counselors on issues of family planning in 10 out 28 administrative districts in Malawi. The advocacy meetings took place from September –November, 2015 and are scheduled to continue in 2016.

The Presidential Safe motherhood initiative also engages Chiefs and other traditional leaders in advocating and raising awareness on broad SRH issues including community participation in family planning.

In August 2015, the Government of Malawi shared an update on progress in achieving its policy, financial and program and service delivery commitments to FP2020.

• The newly developed stand-alone Youth Friendly Health Service Strategy was endorsed for dissemination and implementation by the Senior Management Committee in the Ministry of Health on Aug. 3, 2015 (scheduled to launch August 2015).
• About 159 of 300 targeted private clinics have personnel trained in the provision of long acting and reversible contraception throughout the country.
• The Government of Malawi has conducted the annual national quantification exercise for all health commodities including family planning commodities since 2013 and a budget proposition was formalized for 2014/15 financial year.
• The Government of Malawi reports significant progress in its national LMIS. The average monthly reporting rates by health facilities has increased from about 55% in 2013 to about 90% in 2015. Moreover, the quality of data reported by health facility has improved. This improvement has increased the reliability of the national forecast, supply planning and related supply chain decisions for the family planning program.

The Government of Malawi has also engaged in several activities to increase community participation in family planning services.

• The Ministry of Health developed and endorsed a Health Promotion Policy where advocacy on increased community participation, including family planning, is mainstreamed through different local structures including the Traditional Chiefs Committee, Police Victim Support Units and Community Action Groups (CAG). The Ministry of Health appeals for more resources to orient councilors and chairpersons of District Health Councils in all 28 districts in monitoring and supervising all structures in mainstreaming family planning.
• The Ministry of Health through UNFPA has identified funds from the RMNCH Trust Funds to advocate with Ward Councilors, Chiefs, Church Leaders, Members of Parliament and village Maternal and Neonatal Counselors on issues of family planning in 13 of 28 administrative districts in Malawi. The advocacy is planned to take place from September to November2015.
• In 2013, Ministry of Health through Support for USAID’s Support for Service Delivery Communication, launched the nation-wide, multi-channel and multi-level 'Moyo ndi Mpamba' (Life is Precious) health promotion campaign with key family planning messages.