Name of the project: “Sexual and Reproductive Health and Gender Based Violence prevention and response service (SRH&GBVP)

Programme Area: Improved

availability and utilization of primary

and secondary health care services

including comprehensive integrated

sexual reproductive health services,

maternal health, psychosocial support and

AY Adolescents services for catchment

populations of targeted facilities in

Noakhali district.

Duration: January 2023 to June 2024

Funded by: From the people of Japan

Supported By: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Implementation area of PHD: Noakhali (Sadar & Hatiya Upazila) District    

Target audience: Coverage Approximate 4,76,857 populations: Adolescents, women of reproductive age, pregnant and postpartum women, women at risk and survivors of gender-based violence.

SDG focus: SDG 3: “To ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”.

 

 

 

Noakhali is one of the most vulnerable districts in Bangladesh, 1 out of 3 people living below poverty line (BBS 2016). The district lags in various Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) indicators compared to national averages (BDHS 2017-18). The EmOC performance report of 2021 reveals a concerning 30% unmet need in the Chittagong division, where Noakhali is located. The only government facility offering 24/7 Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) services, the 250-bed General Hospital, is strained due to increased patient influx from the Rohingya crisis. Sadar and Hatiya Upazila, in particular, lack sufficient 24/7 safe facility delivery and other essential SRH services at the union level, posing a serious concern for community well-being. In response, Partners in Health and Development (PHD), in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP), is executing the "Sexual and Reproductive Health and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Service project." This initiative is financially supported by from the people of Japan through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The project aims to deliver equitable Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) care and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) response services to communities in the Sadar and Hatiya Upazila of Noakhali district.

Through this project, PHD has strategically deployed a diverse team, including medical doctors, midwives, community mobilizers, support staff and other managerial staffs in all working areas for maintaining coordination with government officials to ensure quality SRH&GBV services at the Union, Upazila and District level facilities. The project strengthens the health system, providing 24/7 Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) services, emphasizing MNCAH and SRH, including family planning and GBV response in hard-to-reach areas. Capacity building for service providers, enhancement of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and logistics supply chain systems are priorities. The project has specialists working to strengthen EmONC services and midwives contributing to evidence-based maternity care practices and the initial stabilization of PPH and eclampsia cases.

The project will work to achieve 5 project objectives likely-

Objective1: Functional 24/7 high quality CEmONC services at Noakhali 250 Bed District Hospital

Objective2: Improved provision of high quality basic and emergency obstetric services at Hatiya Upazila

Objective3: Enhanced availability of integrated SRH information and services, including post-partum family planning & contraception

Objective4: Improved availability of health service response and psychosocial support for gender-based violence

Objective 5: Capacity building to develop skilled health service providers and Stake holder mobilization utilize community cedars.