The  Government  of  Nepal commits  to  equitable  access  to  voluntary  Family  Planning  (FP) services  based  on  informed  choice for  all individuals  and  couples, in  particular  the  poor’ vulnerable  and marginalized groups.

The main aim of the National Family Planning Program is to ensure that individuals and couples are able to fulfill their reproductive needs by using appropriate family planning methods based on informed choice. Family planning can reduce unmet need for contraceptives and unintended pregnancy which ultimately helps to improve maternal and child health, empowers women by allowing them to invest more in their children and earn wages outside the home. In addition, it also helps communities and country to boost economic growth by expanding healthy and skillful labor force and allowing them to invest more money in school, health care and infrastructure development. Overall, National Family Planning Program helps to improve the quality of life of people and develop a nation.

Family planning is one of the priority programs of Government of Nepal, Ministry of Health.  It is also considered as a component of reproductive health package and essential health care services of Nepal Health Sector Program II (2010-2015), National Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan 2015-2021, Nepal Health Sector Strategy 2015-2020 (NHSS) and the Government of Nepal’s commitments to FP2020. In Nepal, family planning information and services are being provided through government, social marketing, non-governmental organizations and private sectors. In government health system, currently, temporary family planning methods (male condoms, oral pills and injectable) are provided on a regular basis through health posts, sub health posts, PHC Outreach clinics. Female Community Health Volunteers are providing information to community people, and distribute condom and resupply of pills. Long acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) services such as IUCD and Implants are available only at limited number of Primary Health Care Centers and health posts where trained health care providers are available. Sterilization services are provided at static sites or through scheduled “seasonal” or mobile outreach services. Almost all district FP MCH clinics are providing all types of temporary FP methods regularly.

General and specific objectives of Family Planning Program include;

General Objectives:

GoN strives to improve the health status of all people, regardless of their sex, caste and ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Therefore overall objective of the FP program is to improved health status of all people through accountable and equitable health service delivery system through informed choice  to  access  and  use  voluntary  FP  (through increased  and  equitable  access  to  quality  FP information and services).

Specific Objectives:

• To increase access to and utilization of quality FP services which are safe, effective and acceptable to individuals and couples. Special focus is given to increasing access to services in places where the rural, poor, Dalit, other marginalized people and those with high unmet need live.
• To create an enabling environment for increasing access to quality family planning services to men and women.
• To increase demand of family planning services by implementing various behavior change communication activities.