An urban ASHA with chart of family planning methods.
TCIHC coached nearly 800 urban accredited social health activists (ASHAs) in five UP cities, who then reached nearly 9,000 women at one of three service delivery points: urban primary health centers (UPHC), outreach camps (ORC) and urban health nutrition days (UHND). More than 60% of these women decided to choose a modern family planning method, as detailed in the table below. These results do not yet include referrals from these sites to district hospitals for long-acting methods and is considered an underestimate.
In addition to other tracking methods, TCIHC utilizes HMIS data in its cities to evaluate results. In a retrospective review of HMIS data from the five initial cities in UP, data shows an 84% increase in intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) uptake in urban primary health care centers (UPHC) from December to February 2018 when compared to the same quarter in 2017 (see chart on right). The Fixed-Day Static Services (FDS) approach was introduced in over 60% of UPHCs in the initial five cities in UP in December 2017 and more UPHCs are activated each month. TCIHC expects to see the demand for IUCDs increase as more UPHCs are activated and rolling out FDS. It is also expected that with TCIHC advocacy, the use of injections will rise once UPHCs are allowed to provide them.
With strong engagement from PSI’s leadership team and a strategic TCIHC program team operating in 31 cities in three states, the TCI “business unusual” approach has been adopted across PSI/India’s health portfolio, influencing the way in which PSI designs and delivers its programs throughout the country. Additionally, PSI is finalizing a new $1.9 million award with USAID/India for a one-year expansion in tuberculosis approaches using the TCIHC platform, working through the government of India (GOI) service delivery points in five cities in UP and another five cities in MP.
TCIHC is also gearing up to support the expansion of family planning services to married and unmarried youth, including first-time parents. In early April, together with USAID, WHO, UNFPA as well as representatives from the Government of India’s National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) and Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK), or the National Adolescent Health program, senior staff from TCIHC and other implementing partners in adolescent and youth reproductive health (AYSRH) in India, Clea Finkle, the foundation’s Program Officer for TCI and TCI’s Director, Jose “Oying” Rimon, participated in a national roundtable on AYSRH. The half-day roundtable identified key AYSRH strategies for urban poor under the NUHM platform and RKSK program.