FRONTIERS PROJECT
Integration of Reproductive Health Services for Men in Family Welfare Centers in Bangladesh

FRONTIERS collaborated with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Institute of Population Research and Training to test a model for integrating reproductive health care for men, including treatment for reproductive tract and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as part of services offered by Health and Family Welfare Centers (HFWCs).

The project trained 102 providers who in turn led 436 group discussions with community leaders and male adolescents. Service statistics indicate that in the experimental area, the average number of male clients per clinic each month increased threefold—from 131 to 330 in the first six months of the intervention—and remained at 345 clients per clinic each month during the second six months of the intervention. In comparison, the average number of male clients per month in the control area declined. Of these consultations in the experimental area, 91 percent were for general health problems, and 9 percent were for STIs. Service protocols were modified to include STI treatment for men, but provision of services was inhibited because of problems with logistics, specifically difficulty obtaining medicines.

The vast majority of female clients (over 90 percent) did not mind receiving services with male clients at the HFWCs. Offering reproductive health services for men improved utilization of services by both men and women. Based on the success of this project, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare requested that FRONTIERS provide technical assistance to scaling up the activities in a larger number of HFWCs (see "Scaling Up the Integration of Reproductive Health Services for Men in Bangladesh").

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Location

Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet districts, Bangladesh

Duration

June 2000–June 2003

Population Council researchers

Ubaidur Rob, M.E. Khan, Sharif Mohammed Ismail Hossain

Non-Council collaborators

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW)

National Institute of Population Research and Training (NIPORT)

Donor

US Agency for International Development

Publications/Resources on this project

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Related Project

• Scaling Up the Integration of Reproductive Health Services for Men in Bangladesh

See Also

• Bangladesh

• Men and Reproductive Health

• Men and Male Roles

• FRONTIERS Bangladesh

• FRONTIERS Male Involvement

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