Longer intervals between child births decrease maternal and child mortality. Increased access to family planning information and use of quality family planning services allows families to plan for and achieve more optimal birth intervals (24 months between birth and beginning of next pregnancy). In northern India, where child and maternal mortality rates are high, access to effective family planning and reproductive health services is limited.

USAID is helping Indians in Northern India gain access to high quality family planning and reproductive health services. USAID’s Innovations in Family Planning Services Project designs and pilots partnerships between the public and private sectors that aim to improve access to and quality of reproductive health services. These public-private partnerships:

• Expand access to affordable reproductive and child health products and services in both urban and rural environments by tapping into private sector resources with full endorsement and participation by the public sector;
• Develop quality assurance and accreditation programs that ensure high standards of care;
• Enhance the capability of the public and private sectors to work together to address reproductive health needs;
• Monitor and evaluate performance of pilot projects for use in advocacy and scale-up;
• Build capacity of state institutions to implement and monitor these programs under existing state NRHM structures; and
• Seek to leverage state resources for expansion of health programming on a larger scale.

Examples of some of the innovative private sector models being implemented under the IFPS project include:

• Maternal and Child Health Voucher Program
• Health Clinic and Hospital Social Franchising
• Accredited Social Health Activist Plus Scheme
• Mobile Health Vans