Family planning is a development tool that is essential for a country’s socio-economic progress and prosperity. Ghana’s development policy has long recognised the critical need for Family Planning, but the government has always depended on international funding agencies to provide most of the funding for Family Planning in Ghana.
Family planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and management, and infertility management.
In Ghana funding for Family Planning are used to purchase Family Planning Commodities to support Reproductive and Child Health units of the Ghana Health Service and private health facilities providing Family Planning Services. Thus Family Planning commodities are not included in the normal commodity supply chain within the Ghana Health Services.
Furthermore, they are sold at subsidized prices to clients who come to seek Family Planning services. Hence supply and distribution of Family Planning Commodities does not provide enough cost recovery to facilitate reordering of stocks. The foregoing suggests that any reorder needs fresh funding from the Donor Partners and the Ministry Of Health to support the consignment.
