In 1999, the first large-scale situation analysis study on the quality of public sector reproductive health (RH) services in Vietnam was conducted by the Population Council with financial support from UNFPA.
Field researchers visited RH services in seven provinces at four different levels – provincial and district hospitals, polyclinics, and commune health stations – and studied the delivery of family planning, ante-natal care, abortion and reproductive tract infection services. The researchers visited and conducted an inventory of 424 health facilities, observed 1,453 provider-client interactions, and interviewed 1,280 clients and 532 providers.
Overall, researchers found a system which was ready to deliver a variety of basic RH services to women. The existing infrastructure was adequate for most tasks, and basic equipment, supplies, and essential drugs were generally available.
In contrast to the general readiness to deliver services, there seemed to be significant problems in the quality of the care provided to clients. The most serious were the counseling of clients in all studied RH services, the technical competence of providers, especially in infection control, and the delivery of RTI/STD- related services.
Researchers recommended that the Ministry of Health attempt to eliminate many of the missed opportunities for educating clients by encouraging a broader model of service delivery, the possible expansion of services to include men, joint counseling of couples in all RH services, and education of clients to make them better informed consumers of quality services.
See www.popcouncil.orgLearning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Quality of Care, Reproductive Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Population Council
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.