Improving Access to Family Planning Services among Indigenous Women in Peru

Suneeta Sharma, Futures Group International
Gracia Subiria, Futures Group International
Cynthia Green, Futures Group International

In Peru most indigenous women lack access to health services because they are poor and live in remote rural areas. The USAID | Health Policy Initiative project assisted the Ministry of Health to improve their access to family planning (FP) services by identifying barriers to access and using existing financing mechanisms to address these barriers. The work entailed raising awareness of the barriers among stakeholders, building partnerships and support, tapping into multisectoral planning groups, strengthening local capacity, and mobilizing information for decisionmaking. Indigenous women can now obtain FP services in all public health facilities through social insurance (due to a presidential decree) and health providers have been trained in culturally appropriate client education and counseling techniques. These changes are incorporated into all poverty alleviation programs. The authors will discuss the impact of these interventions and lessons learned in improving access of the poor to FP services.