'Saathiya' - A Youth-Friendly Family Planning Service

Online, October 28, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Saathiya' - A Youth-Friendly Family Planning Service
The USAID-funded Market-based Partnerships for Health Project launched 'Saathiya -Youth-friendly Network' in the cities of Allahabad, Varanasi, Agra, Haridwar, Dehradun, Barabanki and Lucknow. Targeted at the family planning and reproductive health needs of the low-income, married couples in these cities, Saathiya or "Trusted Partner" provides them with reliable information, counseling, and contraception products to help prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce sexually transmitted infections, and encourage the practice of birth spacing for new mothers. The Saathiya program has been successfully running in Lucknow since October, 2007 and has recently been expanded to four new cities of Uttar Pradesh and two in Uttarakhand.

The Saathiya network has over 3,200 chemist shops, family doctors, and specialists (Obstetrician-Gynecologists) in the program cities, who have undergone comprehensive training and orientation to strengthen their family planning knowledge and counseling skills.

The Saathiya network has support from city-level healthcare providers associations, including the local chapters of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FOGSI), National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA) and Retail Chemist's Associations. Saathiya is also partnering with a variety of private sector contraceptive manufacturers, including JK Ansell Limited (condoms), Win-Medicare Private Limited (emergency contraception), GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited (low dose oral contraceptive pills), and Contech Devices Ltd. (IUDs) to promote Youth-friendly brands of contraceptives.

The Saathiya service is also complemented by an integrated youth oriented communication campaign, which includes promotions in movie theaters, street theatre performances, radio advertising, billboards, retail signages, and in-store and in-clinic informational materials. Separate toll-free helpline numbers for women (1800-180-180-1) and men (1800-180-180-2) are also available for land lines and mobile phones users in the city, making information available through trained telecounselors from 9 in the morning to 12 midnight, all 7 days of the week. To encourage young couples to seek family planning services from the Saathiya network, substantial discounts are available on consultations and products through the 'Saathiya Health Card'. Soon to be made available at all Saathiya network provider outlets, the card entitles clients to a 5% discount on contraceptive products from Saathiya chemists and a 50% discount on family planning consultations from Saathiya network doctors.

As per National Family Health Survey (NFHS 3), the unmet need for family planning in UP is highest for the young - in the age group 15-19 years it is 32.2 % and in the age group 20-24 it is 28.9 %. Young couples face numerous barriers such as embarrassment, provider biases, peer/family pressure and low levels of knowledge to access family planning services. Saathiya provides quality consultancy and counseling services to married couples in a non-threatening and friendly environment so that they are able to take control of their future.

About Saathiya Helpline

The Saathiya helpline has received a total of 1, 42,584 calls up to 30th August, 2009.

Saathiya Helpline is a toll-free helpline service which is presently manned by sixteen trained counselors - eight males and eight females from 9 am to 12 midnight, all seven days of the week. Separate numbers have been activated for males and females, as research showed that men were hesitant to speak with a lady counselor and women were not favorably inclined to seek counsel from a male counselor. Accordingly the Saathiya helpline has two numbers 1800-180-180-1 for Women and 1800-180-180-2 for Men and are serviced by trained councilors.

The objective of the helpline is to provide satisfactory counseling to callers seeking advice on RH and FP issues and to motivate callers to approach Saathiya network providers to seek further treatment or access products. The Saathiya helpline is a free, private and confidential service which is benefiting thousands of married youth. The helpline provides information, counseling and referrals, all through a youth-friendly manner.

The helpline is promoted through Saathiya Providers' in-shop and in-clinic leaflets & posters, and through other promotional opportunities.

The number of calls has increased from less than 50 per day when the helpline was launched in October, 2007 to more than 500 calls per day. About 30% of the callers to the helpline are females. The issues discussed by the callers on the helpline are family planning (38%), Saathiya (19%), reproductive health (26%), sexual and family issues (12%) and HIV/AIDS (5%).

About the Market-based Partnerships for Health Project

The USAID funded Market-based Partnerships (MBPs) for Health Project provides technical assistance to explore and adapt private sector strategies and foster commercial sector alliances to address a wide range of health issues in the areas of Reproductive Health (RH), Maternal and Child Survival (MCH), TB, safe water, hygiene promotion and HIV/AIDS. The project aims to demonstrate that MBPs can deliver health impact and are commercially viable, and partner with 'natural owners' who can take these programs to scale to address the needs of the people at the Base-of the-Pyramid (BOP) and rural populations

For more information contact: Pearl Khan-9811477778