Organizational Barriers in Reducing Unmet Need for Family Planning in Mamuju District

Abstract

Unmet need for family planning is an indicator of the service performance of the Family Planning and Reproductive Health program. This condition indicates the desire of couples of childbearing age for a type of contraceptive that is not available so that they make the decision not to use a contraceptive method or device. The percentage of unmet need in Mamuju Regency based on 2021 is 23.65%, still far from the provincial target of 17.87%, and the national target of 8.30%. The purpose of this study was to explore information on the causes of the high number of unmet need for family planning in Mamuju District from the perspective of service provider organizational barriers (supply side). This research method used qualitative methods with a case study approach. Informants in this study were women with unmet need, husbands, Head of Family Planning, Head of Subdivision Planning Program, midwives, field staffs and cadres in the Mamuju District and Simboro and Islands Districts. The total number of informants was 31 people. Data collection techniques were interviews, focus group discussions (FGD) and document studies. Data analysis using thematic analysis. The results showed that the quality of human resources, limited financing, accessibility of health facilities that were difficult to reach, not yet optimal support across sectors, and inaccurate measurements of unmet need in the field, became obstacles for service providers in reducing unmet need. Unmet need for family planning is multidimensional because it is influenced by various factors, therefore it requires a strong commitment from all parties and synergy between related sectors in optimizing the implementation of family planning programs.