The Impact of the National Family Planning Programme on the Quality of Care in China

Abstract

During the past 10 years studies conducted on the quality of family planning services have examined the strengths and weaknesses of family planning in many developing countries. China's national family planning programme in the past two decades has achieved extremely successful benchmarks, and accelerated the pace of fertility transi tion. It is one of the world's most closely watched family planning programmes, often sparking intense debates about reproductive behaviour and reproductive rights. This study evaluates a variety of elements on the quality of family planning services by analysing survey data and historically reviewing the development of China's national family planning programme. The author argues that the quality of family planning services in China is influenced greatly by the national family planning policy and its implementation at the grassroots level. In particular, quality of care refers to the ser vice network, service resources, service strategic interventions and provider-client relationships. China's family planning programme is undergoing a shift from tradi tional services to comprehensive services in reproductive health, and is gradually insti tutionalising the quality of care. Although the cost of personal freedom in reproductive behaviour should be taken into consideration, this study provides evidence that China's national family planning programme has exerted a relatively positive impact on the quality of care for the world's largest population.