Pascalinah Kabi
THE country’s health facilities scored a high of 98 percent in the provision of HIV and AIDS services, preliminary results of the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) service delivery points (SDP) survey 2017 have shown.
The national survey, conducted in September 2017, focused on the availability of modern contraceptive methods and maternal lifesaving medicines in all 179 SDP health facilities providing either modern contraceptives and/or essential life-saving maternal and/ or reproductive health medicines in Lesotho.
The 179 facilities comprised of one tertiary level, 18 secondary level and 160 primary level facilities. The survey was commissioned by the Health ministry’s family planning unit with financial and technical assistance from UNFPA.
“The main objective of the survey was to assess availability and accessibility of modern contraceptives and essential lifesaving maternal and reproductive health medicines within the service delivery points in the ten districts of Lesotho,” UNFPA said in its report.
The UN agency said 176 out of 179 facilities were surveyed and the other three could not be reached due to poor roads.
“Health services offered, out of 171 surveyed SDPs – 66.1 percent (113) facilities offer modern family planning, 58 do not offer mostly from the Catholic Church. 92.4 percent (158) SDPs offers maternal health services and 98.2 percent (168) SDPs offers HIV and Aids services,” the agency said.
Proportion Distribution of SDPs Providing Family Planning, Maternal health and HIV/AIDS Services: Lesotho 2017
| Proportion Providing: | |||
| Family Planning Services | Maternal/Reproductive Health Services | HIV/AIDS Care Services | |
| Healthcare Level of SDP | |||
| Primary | 87.6% (99) | 89.2% (141) | 89.9% (151) |
| Secondary | 11.5% (13) | 10.1% (16) | 10.1%% (17) |
| Tertiary | 0.9% (1) | 0.6% (1) | 0% (0) |
| Urban-Rural Residence | |||
| Urban | 26.5% (30) | 27.8% (44) | 30.4%(51) |
| Rural | 73.5% (83) | 72.2% (114) | 69.6%(117) |
| Management type | |||
| Government | 77% (87) | 50% (79) | 50.6% (85) |
| CHAL | 17.7% (20) | 46.2% (73) | 45.2 (76) |
| NGO | 5.3%(6) | 3.7% (6) | 4.2 (7) |
| Administrative Unit /district | |||
| Botha-Bothe | 8.% (9) | 7.6% (12) | 7.1% (12) |
| Leribe | 13.3% (15) | 17.1% (27) | 16.1% (27) |
| Berea | 4.4% (5) | 8.9% (14) | 7.7% (13) |
| Maseru | 21.2% (24) | 17.1% (27) | 20.1% (34) |
| Mafeteng | 11.5% (13) | 11.4% (18) | 10.7% (18) |
| Mohale’s Hoek | 9.7% (11) | 8.2% (13) | 9.5% (16) |
| Quthing | 5.3%(6) | 5.7% (9) | 5.4% (9) |
| Qacha’s Neck | 7.1% (8) | 7.0% (11) | 6.5% (11) |
| Mokhotlong | 8.0% (9) | 7.0% (11) | 6.5% (11) |
| Thaba-Tseka | 11.5% (13) | 10.1% (16) | 10.1%(17) |
| Total number of SDPs | 113 | 158 | 168 |
The report further states that 113 facilities offered modern family planning and that 100 percent of them offered at least three methods of modern family planning methods according to protocols and as part of regular and normal services – primary, secondary and tertiary level facilities.
On availability of maternal and other medicines, the report said availability of seven essential life-saving maternal and reproductive health medicines including oxytocin and magnesium sulphate was 100 percent for both secondary and tertiary facilities and 90 percent for primary facilities.