Recorded presentation

M. E. Khan, PhD¹, Sharif Mohammed Ismail Hossain, MBBS MPH², Md. Moshiur Rahman, MSc², Mirza A. H. M. Barek, MBBS², and Bishnupada Dhar, Mpil². (1) Bangladesh Country Office, Population Council Asia & Near East Region, House CES (B) 21, Road 118, Gulshan, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 8802-8821227, mekhan@pcindia.org, (2) Popualtion Council, House #CES(B) 21, Road #118, Gulshan, Dhaka, Bangladesh

A systematic scaling up of emergency contraceptive pills (ECP) program was initiated in Bangladesh by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Population Council. To implement this, systematic three-tier training program was initiated, monitored and evaluated. At the first tier a core group of 51 Master Trainers were developed. These Master Trainers then trained a group of 439 trainers who then trained 12,000 service providers to provide ECP services to 52 million populations. Pre- and post-test assessments were included in all training sessions to examine the effectiveness and achievement by the training including evaluation of the training session. Assessments showed that service providers as well as trainers have huge gaps of knowledge on EC that increased significantly after the training. For example, only around 50 percent of the trainers knew the three basics of ECP (when ECP must be initiated, how many doses and what should be the interval between doses) before the training but it rose to about 96 percent after the training. Further only about 10 percent of the service providers knew these three basics before the training and these rose to about 95 percent after the training. All most all of the trainers and service providers evaluated the training positively and valued it as an essential component before ECP introduction in the system. It was learned that back-to-back efforts from public, private and NGOs are essential to make a difference at the program and training is a must while ECP introduce in the national program.

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