Pakistan

Using a market development approach, PSI Pakistan has conducted an extensive use/need analysis on the Pakistani market. After identifying market failures and opportunities for growth, PSI Pakistan determined the most appropriate interventions needed to improve demand and supply in the Pakistani market, while also creating an environment conducive to an equitable, sustainable and healthy market. Following the successful implementation of the 5-year, DFID-funded Delivering Reproductive Health Results program, PSI Pakistan acquired additional funding from DFID to focus on the five-year Delivering Accelerated Family Planning in Pakistan (DAFPAK) program from 2017 to 2022. DAFPAK places a heavy focus on rural areas and aims to reduce maternal deaths, unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions through increased access to, availability and usage of contraceptive products and services.

PSI Pakistan’s use/need analysis revealed that in the three provinces where PSI Pakistan and its partners operate—Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—there are 16.9 million married women of reproductive age (ages 15 to 34) who need access to contraceptive methods and services. Of these 16.9 million women, only 8 million (47.5%) use a modern contraceptive method whereas 8.9 million women have an unmet need for contraception. The gap between women who use modern contraceptives and those who need contraceptives but don’t have access to them is highest amongst women living in poverty in rural Punjab. DAFPAK’s primary target population is women of reproductive age in rural areas, especially young women. DAFPAK’s secondary target population includes key influencers such as male partners, mothers-in-law, community and religious leaders, retail networks such as pharmacists, medicine shops and drug sellers, and public sector actors such as executive district officers and district health management teams.