Abstract
Like many countries, Uganda has made notable progress in increasing family planning (FP) use over time. Yet, many women and adolescent girls who want to prevent or delay pregnancies are not using contraceptives— especially women who live in remote places, far from health clinics. Thanks to strong national leadership on FP, the government of Uganda is pioneering introduction and scale-up of a new type of injectable: subcutaneous DMPA (DMPA-SC, or Sayana® Press* ). The product’s ease of use could expand access and options for women.
The introduction and scale-up of DMPA-SC builds on earlier policy changes to enable community-based distribution (CBD) of injectables (intramuscular DMPA, or DMPA-IM). This strong policy foundation, coupled with ongoing advocacy by nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners, helped facilitate the recent inclusion of DMPA-SC in the 2016 Essential Medicines List and in clinical guidelines. Efforts to offer DMPA-SC through pharmacies and accredited drug shops and self-injection are also in progress. With a number of key policy changes enacted or soon to be approved, expanded access to DMPA-SC is becoming a reality.
