COSTS OF FAMILY-PLANNING PROGRAMS IN 14 DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES BY METHOD OF SERVICE DELIVERY

The cost effectiveness of several modes of family planning service del ivery based on the cost per couple-year of protection (CYP), including commodity costs, is assessed for 1991-92 using programme and project data from fourteen developing countries (five in Africa, four in Asia, three in Latin America and two in the Middle East). More than 100 mil lion CYP were provided through these family planning services during t he 12 months studied. Sterilisation services provided both the highest volume (over 60% of total) and the lowest cost per CYP ($1.85). Socia l marketing programmes (CSM), delivering almost 9 million CYPs, had th e next lowest cost per CYP on average ($2.14). Clinic-based services e xcluding sterilisation had an average cost of $6.10. The highest costs were for community-based distribution projects (0.7 million CYPs), wh ich averaged $9.93, and clinic-based services with a community-based d istribution component (almost 6 million CYPs), at a cost of $14.00 per CYP. Based on a weighted average, costs were lowest in the Middle Eas t ($3.37 per CYP for all modes of delivery combined) and highest in Af rica ($11.20).