The Family Health and Family Planning Program (FHFP) is being conducted by the Ministry of Public Health and Population along with the Futures Group International in collaboration with EPOS, who provide of consulting services in virtually every area of health care. The project is financed by Yemen and the German Bank for Reconstruction (KfW).
The project aims at helping the Yemeni government meet the increasing demands for family health and planning in line with the government's policies in this regard.
To focus on this important project, Yemen Times journalist Ismail Al-Ghabiri met with the project's Team Leader, Dr. Bader B. Rashid and filed the following interview.

Q: What is the importance of this program:
A: The Yemen Family Health & Family Planning Program (FHFP I) is implemented by a consortium comprising The Futures Group International and EPOS Health Consultants under contract to the Ministry of Public Health and Population, and co-funded through Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufbau (KFW), Federal Republic of Germany. The project is to be implemented over the period February 1, 2000 to March 31, 2004.
The FHFP I Program is the first project of its kind in Yemen and focuses on integrating the private sector & NGOs in Reproductive Health / Family Planning service delivery, in line with the approved policy in Yemen, which encourages greater participation of the private sector & NGOs in services delivery & method distribution.

Q: What is FHFP purpose & how is it implemented:
A: The purpose of the Yemen Family Health and Family Planning Program (FHFP I) is to improve the delivery of reproductive, maternal and child health services, and contribute to meeting the increasing demand for affordable and accessible family planning methods in order to improve the health of women and children.
The Program consists of two distinct but interrelated components: family planning component which addresses the delivery of family planning services & methods and an infrastructure component which addresses structural improvements at health facilities in 4 target govenorates.
The FHFP I Program objectives for its 2 components are:
1)Family Planning: To increase demand for, access to and availability of affordable modern contraceptives provided through the private sector and NGO community. Its services will be complementary to public sector service delivery and thereby assist in achieving the sustainability of family planning services in Yemen.
2)Infrastructure development: To improve the infrastructure of healthcare services by renovating and equipping, extending and supplying selected health facilities as well as constructing a Health Manpower Institute in Al- Mahweet.

Q: What is the target and Program coverage?
A: The targets can be summarized in nationwide family planning, and in enhancing Infrastructure in Ibb, Abyan, Mahweet and Hajjah.

Q: What about the objectives?
A: Based on the mentioned set target, the main objectives are: To strengthen and expand the provision of RH / FP services. And that can be done through the private sector and NGOs by increasing demand for modern contraceptives, increasing access to modern contraceptives, increasing availability of affordable modern contraceptives, and increasing public awareness of the impact of RH / FP on the health of mothers and children.
The second objective is to improve the physical infrastructure, equipment and drug supply at MCH Centers and Health Units in the selected governorates.

Q: How are the Project Strategies implemented?
A: The family planning component works through partnership with the private sector and the participating NGO's. It is complimentary to the public sector services. It focuses on the following targets:
- Target Audience: Married couples who desire to use birth spacing methods.
-Products: The FHFP I Program distributes a range of Pills, Injectable, IUD and Condom, specifically packaged for Yemen under the brand name PROTEC. All these methods are safe, effective, reversible and registered at the Ministry of Public Health and Population.
-PROTEC products are subsidized and priced significantly lower than prices of similar products available through the Private Sector.
-Sales: To pharmacies, drugstores, hospitals, clinics, and other private sector health facilities; as well as through NGO's health-related facilities.
- Distribution: From 5 warehouses of our partner distributor, NATCO, effectively covering all of Yemen, and through collaborating NGOs such as the Charitable Society of Social Welfare.
- Demand Generation by use of mass media and communications materials to increase awareness and knowledge of potential users, increase trial and use of products, increase knowledge, counseling skills and participation of doctors, increase knowledge and participation of pharmacists, increase knowledge, counseling skills and participation of NGO's, and increase awareness and participation of local communities.
- Public Relations and Advocacy by increasing awareness and involvement of leaders, tribal religious Sheikhs, local councils and other community leaders, and increasing the awareness and improve the information available by use the media, such as T.V talk shows addressing RH / FP services and methods available through the Program.
- Training of Providers: The FHFP I Program focuses on training Physicians, Pharmacists, Midwives and Outreach workers. The training aims at providing the most up-to-date information on contraceptive technology and counseling skills. The range of methods and the training lead the physician and the Yemeni family to use PROTEC methods through an "Informed Choice".
As for the infrastructure component, the FHFP I Program is implemented in 2 phases: Phase 1 in 14 sites, Phase 2 an additional 12 - 14 sites. In all these selected health facilities, the Program is renovating and rehabilitating these facilities including supplying them with equipments, supplies and furniture.

Q: What are your planned activities during this year 2003?
A: Our programme's activities for this year include the expansion of the distribution of its PROTEC products to increase their availability through the private sector and NGO's all over the country, continuing the training of service providers all over the nation, continuing the communications campaign and to expand it through use of mass media channels like T.V and radio aiming at providing the correct information to the Yemeni families and to address issues relating to misconceptions, and also completing the infra-structure development of the selected health facilities.

Q: Does the Program work in rural areas?
A: In the Family Planning component, the Program will continue to expand its services in order that it reaches all private sector service providers in urban and rural areas. On the other hand, the Infra-Structure development takes place primarily in health facilities in rural areas.

Q: Any other comments that you have?
A: I would like to thank Yemen Times for its role in following up the situation of the Yemeni family's health and population issues.