Assessing the Current States of Logistics Management and Training on Family Planning Services in Nigerian Healthcare Facilities

Background: Management of Family planning (FP) commodities is a significant problem that is not limited to compromising the quality of FP services but also results in economic burden especially in developing countries. Some facilities may have ample FP commodities while others have a shortage if FP logistics are managed poorly. Hence, assessing the FP commodities logistic management is relevant to inform decision-makers.

Methods: This survey was a cross-section study of 763 public primary and secondary healthcare facilities in Nigeria. The study involved facility assessment and quantitative interview of key personnel in each facility, using a structured questionnaire. The study was conducted from May to July 2019. The data collected were analysed with IBM-SPSS version 25.0. Descriptive statistics were performed, Chi-Square and linear logistics regression were used to establish significant associations; p<0.05 was considered significant.

Results: About half (51.4%) of primary and 33.5% of secondary healthcare facilities were not using forms for reporting FP supplies. Also, 23.8% of primary and 18.8% of secondary facilities waited for more than two months before receiving orders. The facilities have an average of 2-3 trained personnel on FP services. FP staff who were trained had their last training over a year ago (primary-31.9%); secondary-37.4%). Secondary facilities were 2.102(95% CI:1.567–2.820) times more likely to use log forms, 1.845(95% CI: 1.076–3.165) times more likely to have cold chains, and 4.785(95% CI: 3.207–7.139) more likely to have trained staff on insertion and removal of implants than primary facilities (p<0.05).

Conclusion: We advocate that the government and donor agencies carry out urgent interventions such as regular supply of contraceptives, regular training of FP service providers, provide sufficient manpower, carry out regular monitoring and evaluation of FP services and create awareness on the need to use FP services among grassroots citizens.