Enhancing Sterilisation Performance in Rajasthan

Abstract

In the beginning of the year 2004–5, the demographic cell at the state level in Rajasthan realised during routine introspection that sterilisation performance had not picked up in the past few years, and they decided to rework the goals outlined in the state population policy. Just advancing the policy goals would not yield results, but would instead depend on accessibility and availability of sterilisation services and a host of other factors centred round the clients. A quick and rapid review examining existing patterns of service provisions and utilisation of sterilisation services in the state was undertaken from the providers' perspective. The basic premise of the study was that sterilisation performance is a function of accessibility to sterilisation facilities, availability of trained providers, and seasonality in service provision and utilisation. In a nutshell, the study recommended that sound and systematic planning in line with the utilisation pattern of the districts, round-the-year services, availability of trained providers, evenness in providers' load, and close monitoring at different levels were critical dimension for enhancing sterilisation performance in the state.