Dr. Mala Srivastava Champions Family Planning Access in Patna, Bihar, Believing ‘Every Challenge Has a Solution’

Being a gynecologist, I recognize the value of family planning. I prefer to counsel the husband and wife jointly on contraceptives and help them realize how important it is for their family. I established a dedicated routine immunization and family planning corner in the UPHC. During field work, ASHAs do follow up with eligible and interested couples and maintain the daily record.”

Dr. Mala adds- “Being a gynecologist, I knew that IUCD can be offered and hence I liked the idea. The barrier that came was that the autoclave with us was not functional. I discussed this with other government officials, and they advised me to hold off until the next budget allocation. As that would have delayed it to long extent, I decided to purchase an autoclave using the un-utilized UPHC fund. Thanks to TCI India for assisting us to initiate FDS and IUCD services.

When the achievements of Marufganj were featured in the media, the service providers of other UPHCs were curious to learn how I did it. I smiled and shared that every challenge has a solution; it just depends on how we approach it.”

A few days after initiating FDS, TCI India team suggested Dr. Mala to include IUCD services at the UPHC rather than referring IUCD clients to the District Hospital because, despite being referred, many clients didn’t avail services due to accessibility issues.