Publications by authors named "Nelly Dikamba"
Objective: To determine the availability and quality of family planning services within health facilities throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Methods: Data were collected for the cross-sectional study from April 2014 to June 2014 by the Ministry of Public Health. A total of 1,568 health facilities that reported data to the National Health Information System were selected by multistage random sampling in the 11 provinces of the DRC existing at that time.
While geographic information systems (GIS) are frequently used to research accessibility issues for healthcare services around the world, sophisticated spatial analysis protocols and outputs often prove inappropriate and unsustainable to support evidence-based programme strategies in resource-constrained environments. This article examines how simple, open-source and interactive GIS tools have been used to locate family planning (FP) services delivery points in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and to identify underserved areas, determining the potential location of new service points, and to support advocacy for FP programmes. Using smartphone-based data collection applications (OpenDataKit), we conducted two surveys of FP facilities supported by partner organizations in 2012 and 2013 and used the results to assess gaps in FP services coverage, using both ratio of facilities per population and distance-based accessibility criteria.
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- In 2007, modern contraceptive use in Kinshasa, DRC was notably low at 14.1%, but little was known about the available family planning services.
- Three health facility surveys from 2012 to 2014 aimed to assess the availability and readiness of family planning services, measuring various factors including the number of methods offered and staff training.
- Results showed an increase in "ready" facilities from 44.1% in 2012 to 63.3% in 2013, with significant contributions from implants and IUDs to contraceptive distribution, although PEPFAR-supported sites had lower average outputs compared to other agencies.