17
INTRODUCED
17 YEARS AGO
60
APPROVED IN NEARLY
60 COUNTRIES
?
BUT KNOWLEDGE AND
USE REMAIN LOW
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“Achieving health for all includes empowering and educating people to become active decision-makers in their own health. That’s what self-care is all about.”
— Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization
Today, more than 218 million women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) who want to avoid pregnancy don’t use modern contraceptives. Each year, 111 million unintended pregnancies occur in LMICs, accounting for 49% of all pregnancies in those countries, which include sub-Saharan Africa. Limited contraceptive options and barriers to access are known to significantly increase women’s risk of experiencing maternal health complications and unsafe abortions. Self-care methods such as self-inject contraceptives—which can offer women greater control, convenience, and the ability to use discreetly—can help change that.
Injectables are already the most popular group of contraceptives in sub-Saharan Africa and self-inject contraceptives have already been approved for use in more than 70 countries. However, low levels of awareness and limited provider capacity have kept self-inject from fulfilling its potential—until now. DISC is rapidly scaling up demand generation activities with consumers and empathy-based training for providers to equip them to offer self-inject as part of the method mix. Learn More.
INTRODUCED
17 YEARS AGO
APPROVED IN NEARLY
60 COUNTRIES
BUT KNOWLEDGE AND
USE REMAIN LOW
In partnership with the Self-Care Trailblazers Group, DISC has helped elevate self-care integration as top policy goal for Ministries of Health. In both Nigeria and Uganda we supported MOH-led task forces to develop national self-care guidelines and strategies in line with WHO recommendations. We are currently partnering with national and subnational governments and other key stakeholders to roll out supplemental self-inject training materials and strengthen data reporting. Increasingly, the global community of practice recognizes that self-care interventions not only have the potential to make quality care more accessible to more people—but can also make health systems more efficient.
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Our mission is powered by people like you joining our community.
From ministries of health to regulatory bodies and purchasers, we partner with private and public sector players to provide seamless health services to consumers – no matter their entry point to care.
Across 40+ countries, we scale digital solutions that make it easier for people to take ownership of their own health, and health systems to use resources efficiently and increase health impact.
We support health systems in shaping the policy and regulatory environment for self-care interventions and ensuring self-care is included as an essential part of healthcare services.
