Using Family Planning Benefits Card Program (FPBCP) As an Incentive System to Increasing Uptake for Comprehensive Family Planning Services Among the Urban Poor Men and Women Aged 15 to 49 Years in Uganda

Unintended pregnancies often lead to high levels of unplanned births, unsafe abortions, maternal injuries and death. Reducing unintended pregnancies could prevent 1/4 to 1/3 of maternal deaths and the use of modern contraception is recommended. Our bold idea is to develop a family planning benefits card program (FPBCP) as an incentive system to increase uptake of family planning services among the urban poor men and women aged 15 to 49 years. This program is intended to enable the urban poor to prevent incidences of unintended pregnancies. We will partner with a local medical insurance firm to design a family planning benefits card. This card will give the beneficiaries access to family planning counselling and guidance, birth control methods, devices and supplies, emergency contraception as well as transportation services to the partner clinics. We will enroll 200 participants, provide them with a card and follow them up at 1, 3 & 6 months respectively. We will routinely collect data from the service providers on usability of the card services. We will analyse data to determine the acceptability, usability, cost effectiveness, potential barriers to the program and sustainability. We will partner with corporate companies to pay for and sustain the program through their corporate social responsibility budgets. If successful, we plan to scale up the project to other urban poor communities, refugee camps and to other groups of women with high unmet need for contraception.