In Mozambique, R4S is engaged in three activities: 1) the assessment of HIP implementation with respect to scale, quality, reach and cost, 2) evaluating the cost, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of FP programs for young people, and 3) supporting the development of a family planning research and learning agenda (RLA). These activities are part of the two R4S portfolios below.
HIPs Portfolio
Includes activities that assess multiple service delivery practices to inform programmatic decisions for scale-up – either vertically into local or national health systems and policies, or horizontally to new geographies or groups. Knowledge generated can facilitate advocacy efforts for the adoption and sustainability of interventions that are proven to enhance the impact of FP programs and investment of resources to address equitable access to services among traditionally underserved populations or groups.
1. This activity, part of the HIPs Portfolio, evaluates the scale, quality of implementation, reach, cost and cost-effectiveness in Mozambique, Nepal, and Uganda. Four service delivery HIPs have been identified as the study focus: immediate postpartum family planning (IPPFP), community health workers (CHWs), pharmacies and drug shops (PDS), and Post Abortion FP (PAFP). The approach for this study includes: 1) development and implementation of a replicable methodology to establish a baseline for scale, reach, and quality, involving a review of the selected indicators as well as additional data collection through interviews with managing authorities; 2) collecting information about required resources and assigning unit costs via interviews with managing authorities; and 3) conducting readiness assessments at the service delivery level to assess adherence to the core components. Analyses of the data will also examine aspects of equity, efficiency, and economies of scope/scale. Study results will be used by governments (MOH, TWGs), donors, and implementers to inform program design, scale-up, monitoring, and to inform the framing of the HIPs evaluated in terms of health system costs (and cost-savings) and their effectiveness to increase FP provision overall. Four briefs have been produced to provide details on the first part of this study:
Country RLAs
This activity supports countries to develop family planning research and learning agendas (RLAs) that will help them meet their national FP program goals. It also helps to identify research questions that R4S can answer and programmatic and policy areas for which R4S can help produce, synthesize, or apply evidence to improve outcomes.
2. R4S is working with partner PSI to produce evidence to strengthen FP programs for youth by examining their affordability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The activity aims to increase partner capacity to collect, analyze, and make decisions based on their costing data, and to leverage tools to implement cost-effectiveness analyses during routine programming. It also supports local capacity to promote the utilization of costing research with national and global stakeholders and provide evidence on the reach and efficiency of programs aiming to reach young people with modern contraceptives. The study consists of retrospective review of non-PSI resources used to support different models of youth-focused service delivery (fixed clinics, mobile outreach, and school-community) to complement the on-going analyses of PSI resources and performance of these approaches.
3. R4S supported the development of the FP research and learning agenda in Mozambique, among other countries, via a multi-phase process that involved the review and analysis of data, consultation with local experts, and convening stakeholders to define concrete questions to guide family planning research and ultimately programming. Country consultations for Mozambique took place in February 2021. The FPRLA was reviewed and approved by the MOH in July 2021, disseminated among the Directorate of Public Health (DNSP). and posted to the MISAU website. Details about the process, country context, and main takeaways is found here: FP Research and Learning Agendas and summarized in this blog: Towards 2030 and Beyond.
