Since 2009, Haiti has put family planning (FP) at the core of its efforts to reduce maternal mortality, which led to the creation of a National Strategic Plan for family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) in 2013. However, persistent gender issues, a lack of resources, a largely rural population, and the destruction of facilities during the 2010 earthquake have challenged FP expansion. At 35 percent, unmet need for family planning in Haiti is among the highest in the world. Nevertheless, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) among women in union has increased from 13.2 percent in 1994 to 31.3 percent in 2012.
The level of mCPR is fairly similar across geographic areas and wealth quintiles (Figure 1), but access to a full range of modern methods varies. For example, implants are available in only 50 percent of facilities in rural areas, versus 76 percent in urban areas. Low use of methods such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and sterilization suggests both a lack of trained medical personnel and limited demand for these interventions. In response to these challenges, the Ministry of Health (Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population à Haiti or MSPP) launched a campaign in 2014 to make all FP methods available for free in all facilities across the country, starting in the most underserved departments of the south. With support from donors, the MOH has also extended its Community Health Workers (ASC) program to improve access to FP services in rural communities.
