Family planning is vital for a sustainable development of every society. Hence, family planning programs including modern contraceptive methods support couples and individuals for realizing and exercising their basic right to decide freely and responsibly if, when, and how many children to have. The vast international evidence indicates that endorsement of effective family planning programs has resulted in substantial improvements in health-related outcomes (such as reduced maternal mortality, infant mortality and child mortality), as well as improvements in schooling and educational attainment and economic opportunities, especially for women.
Family planning services were introduced in Albania after 1990, following the breakdown of the communist regime and the transition towards a market-oriented system. However, integrated reproductive health services have been established only after the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
In Albania, since 1997, all family planning services offered free-of-charge in the public sector are integrated into the health system at all three levels (primary, secondary and tertiary level). In the public system, these services are provided in 430 family planning centers including women consultancy centers, maternity hospitals and health centers at commune level. In urban areas, family planning services, besides women consultancy centers, are provided also in maternities, district and regional hospitals, and university hospitals (tertiary level – in Tirana only). Conversely, in rural areas, family planning services are provided in health centers and health posts.
The majority of potential donors in the field of family planning have phased out from Albania. In addition, social marketing is facing out a lot of challenges due to financial instability and the private commercial sector is less interested to invest in family planning programs. Under these circumstances, the Ministry of Health, with the support of UNFPA, has begun efforts to adopt the concept of “Total Market Approach” for contraceptive security.
