Program Planning and Evaluation

Abstract

Family Planning has been widely recognized and supported as o n e element in a well-planned health service program. Jaffe et U I view family planning as a specific personal health service needed by specific members of the population at specific times in their lives.( 1 ) They state that planning delivery of these specific services may yield methods and approaches significant for more general health planning. Rosa makes a related point, namely: that family planning within the context of a health program that is oriented towards immediate felt needs is likely to be more understandable t o the public than family planning presented a s a population control program with economic justification.(Z) Polgar a n d Kessler have reviewed many aspects of family planning programs from the viewpoint of public health strategies.(3) They consider that most aspects of the administration of family planning services in a health context represent n o more than specialized facets of public health practice common to all health settings. Kessler and Kessler state this more specifically as follows: "Fundamentally, the introduction of family planning into health services involves tasks that are similar t o those faced in introducing and providing any other medical and public health measure. There are problems of administration, the training of staff, relating the new services to the other on-going health activities, team work, developing appropriate health education programmes, selecting specific methods suited t o the community, supply channels, transport, and evaluation."(4) Studies related t o these a n d other program elements will be reviewed below.