As part of the capitalization of the task delegation pilot project in Burkina Faso, Equipop visited beneficiaries to gather their opinions on this service offering. During the interviews, clients were able to express their views not only on the usefulness of involving frontline health workers and community-based health workers, but also on the benefits of family planning.
Delegating tasks – to offer all women the right contraceptive method
Task delegation involves authorizing frontline health workers (FLHWs) working mainly in rural areas to offer long-acting contraceptive methods in public health centers and community-based health workers (CBHWs) to initiate the pill and administer injectables. This pilot project has been underway since October 2016 in Burkina Faso in two health districts, Dandé and Tougan.
Equipop is responsible for describing and documenting the pilot project to test the delegation of tasks in family planning service provision throughout its implementation. This capitalization will contribute to learning and facilitate the scaling up of the project. The objective of phase 2 is to continue analyzing the professional practices of the actors and the perceived effectiveness of the DT. To this end, workshops to analyze professional practices are being organized in the districts with the APLs and ASBCs, and individual interviews are being conducted with beneficiary clients in the districts concerned.
Women want to rest
Women seized the opportunity offered by these interviews to give their assessment of the quality of the services provided. One client said: "In my opinion, it is the managers who must help the Health Agents (HAs) to ensure that everything is done properly for us. While the HS are doing their job, the government must work to keep them satisfied. It must give them what they need to do their job well; if our HS are satisfied, they will satisfy us too."
The clients interviewed spoke about the necessity of FP for themselves and their families. "Since my husband does not object to my using FP, I am going to stop having children. If he does not say anything, I will wait until my youngest child is 5 years old. That way I can rest even more," saidone client.
Family planning allows people to avoid unwanted pregnancies and determine how far apart their children will be. "I'm taking a break. See that child (in his mother's arms)? He's 3 years old. I plan to have another child when he's at least 4. You see? I'm taking a break during that time,"shared a client who uses a long-acting method. In addition to welcoming family planning, the women are unanimous about taking time to rest.
Thanks to their testimonials, we know not only that they are convinced of the benefits of family planning, but we can also be reassured about their satisfaction with this service offering.
A final mission is planned for March 2018. It will mark the end of the capitalization process and will be the subject of a publication that will be distributed to stakeholders and the general public.
