Strengthening reproductive health services in Africa through Operations Research

Abstract

The health status of women, men, and children in sub-Saharan Africa remains the poorest in the world. Moreover, virtually every country in the region is suffering mediocre economic growth or economic decline, thereby reducing the ability of their health care systems to respond adequately, and increasing dependence on external donor assistance. In terms of reproductive health (RH), the region is faced with high levels of unwanted fertility; high levels of maternal, child, and infant morbidity and mortality; and an almost exponential growth in HIV prevalence. Access to and quality of RH services remains poor in most countries, thereby maintaining unmet need for even the most basic RH services. Despite this situation, RH services in Africa are receiving tremendous attention from governments, NGOs, donors, and technical assistance organizations. This report states that the objective of the Africa OR/TA Project II was to broaden understanding of how to improve family planning (FP) and other RH services in sub-Saharan Africa through applying operations research (OR) and technical assistance. The project supported activities in 13 countries and 47 OR studies that contributed to strengthening FP and other RH services.