Shahjehan Hall, Taj Palace Hotel, Sardar Patel Marg, New Delhi
Hosts: FHI 360 and USAID

Dr. Pachauri gave one of the keynote addesses.

FHI 360 and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) invited key stakeholders and partners in India to attend the end-of-project meeting for work conducted in India under the Program Research for Strengthening Services (PROGRESS) project (2008–2013). About 100 participants attended, including government officials, experts from national and international nongovernmental organizations and representatives of donor organizations. India is one of seven priority countries for the global PROGRESS project. A report of the India meeting is available here [PDF, 4.1 MB].

PROGRESS seeks to improve access to family planning methods and services among underserved populations in developing countries through research, research utilization and capacity building. PROGRESS offers global technical leadership and undertakes focused country-level activities in seven technical areas. The project works through FHI 360’s country offices in collaboration with ministries of health, implementing partners and other stakeholders.

An inaugural session opened the meeting, followed by three thematic sessions and a closing session. Each thematic session included presentations primarily on PROGRESS studies, followed by a panel discussion on the thematic area and an audience discussion.

Links to the main slides presented at the meeting are available below, following the order of the agenda. The panelists did not use slides.

Agenda

9:00 – 9:30: Registration and Tea

9:30 – 10:30: Inaugural Session

• Welcome and Context: Dr. Bitra George, Country Director, FHI 360, India
• FHI 360’s Global Approach on Family Planning [PDF, 748 KB]: Mr. William Finger, Associate Director, PROGRESS, FHI 360, USA
• Opening Remarks: Ms. Patricia Ramsey, Deputy Mission Director (Acting), USAID, India
• Keynote Address: Dr. Saroj Pachauri, Distinguished Scholar, Population Council, India
• Inaugural Address: Dr. S.K. Sikdar, Deputy Commissioner, In-charge Family Planning Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), India

10:15 – 10:30: Tea Break

10:30 – 11:45: Testing/Scaling up Innovative Program Approaches

Chairperson: Dr. S.K. Sikdar, Deputy Commissioner, In-charge Family Planning Division, MOHFW, India

Presentations:

• Microfinance Programs as a Means for Delivering Family Planning Information and Service in India [PDF, 672 KB]: Dr. Shrabanti Sen, Director, PROGRESS, FHI 360, India
• Increasing Male Involvement in Family Planning [PDF, 1.7 MB]: Ms. Deepika Yadav, Technical Specialist, FHI 360, India

Panel Discussion

Moderator: Mr. V.S. Chandrasekhar, Country Advisor, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, India

Panelists:

• Mr. Anil Singh, Chief Executive cum Member Secretary, NEED, India
• Dr. Hari Singh, CR and Project Director, NSV Initiative, RESPOND project, EngenderHealth, India

11:45 – 1:00: Expanding Access to Family Planning through the Public Sector

Chairperson: Dr. Rita Leavell, Chief of Party, IHBP

Presentations:

• Program Assessment for the Introduction of Multiload-375 IUCD and Assessment of Contraceptive at Doorstep by Accredited Social Health Activitists (ASHAs) [PDF, 237 KB]: Dr. Bitra George, Country Director, FHI 360, India
• Presentation on Integration of Family Planning and Immunization Services [PDF, 1.6 MB]: Dr. T. Hemrom, Deputy Director cum nodal officer, IEC/BCC, JRHMS, Government of Jharkhand, India

Panel Discussion

Moderator: Ms. Himani Sethi, Team Leader, Health Policy Project, Futures Group International, India Pvt. Ltd, India

Panelists:

• Dr. Malabika Roy, Scientist ‘F’ and Head, (Reproductive and Child Health), Indian Council of Medical Research, India
• Ms. Sheena Chhabra, Team Leader, Health Systems Development, Health Office, USAID, India

1:00 – 2:00: Lunch

2:00 – 3:30: Strengthening Reproductive Choices

Chairperson: Dr. Suneeta Mittal, Director and Head, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, India

Presentations:

• Global Perspective: Strengthening Reproductive Choices [PDF, 873 KB]: Ms. Megan Matthews, Technical Advisor, USAID GH/PRH/RTU, USA
• Use of DMPA in India: A Study of User Experiences and Support Systems in Private Sector Facilities [PDF, 400 KB]: Dr. Shrabanti Sen, Director, PROGRESS, FHI 360, India
• Sharing Programmatic Experiences: Dr. Gita Pillai, Director/Chief of Party, Urban Health Initiative, India

Panel Discussion

Moderator: Dr. Sita Shankar, Director, Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition, PATH, India

Panelists:

• Dr. Sudha Tewari, President, Parivar Seva Sansthan, India
• Dr. Basab Mukherjee, Chairperson, Family Welfare Committee, FOGSI, India

3:30 – 4:00: Concluding Session/Summary

• Next Steps/Way Forward: Mr. Shekhar Sethu, Deputy Director, FHI 360, India
• Vote of Thanks: Ms. Sharmistha Khobragade, Senior Program Manager, FHI 360, India
• Close and Tea