Availability and Quality of Family Planning Services in the City of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

摘要

Introduction: The long-term availability of contraceptive methods and the provision of quality planning services are bedrock for increasing contra-ceptive prevalence. The objectives of this study are to determine the coverage and availability of family planning (FP) services , as well as to evaluate the quality of these services in the city of Lubumbashi. Methods: From May to June 2017, we carried out a descriptive transversal study in several health facilities (HF) in the city of Lubumbashi. We have comprehensively included all the health facilities we have identified. The data were collected by interviews, documentary analyses and observation, guided by a questionnaire. We calculated the proportions for the different variables and the quality was evaluated using the score we built for this purpose. Results: Our study involved 570 health facilities. The coverage for family planning services was 0.7/10,000 inhabitants. Their availability was 29.6% among the visited structures; 10.1% of HF had no contraceptives in stock, 10.1% had one to two contraceptives and 79.9% had three or more. The quality of FP services was good in the majority (82%) of HF, average in 12% and poor in 6% of the cases. Conclusion: The coverage of FP services and their availability in the city of Lubumbashi were low. The quality of family planning services was good in most health facilities offering FP services. Improving coverage and availability of family planning services in Lubumbashi, as well as the innovation of the most appropriate supply strategies, is essential to increase contraceptive prevalence.