Assessing the Impact: BMGF & DFID's Reproductive Health Programmes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

In an effort to promote reproductive health and accessibility to quality-assured reproductive health commodities in low- and middle-income countries, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Department for International Development (DFID), now known as the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), rolled out two independent, yet complementary, programmes geared towards ensuring hormonal contraceptives become more readily available, of high quality and affordable.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) Prequalification Programme for Reproductive Health (PQP RH) was the first to benefit from the BMGF's sponsorship. The PQP RH aims to provide low- and middle-income countries with a wider range of quality-assured, affordable reproductive health medicines from generic manufacturers.

DFID provided support to the Quality for Reproductive Health Medicines (QuRHM) programme, executed by the Concept Foundation on behalf of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC). Unlike the PQP RH, the QuRHM aims to resolve the prevailing issues that prevent manufacturers from either applying to or successfully completing the WHO prequalification process.

To gauge the effectiveness and impact of these initiatives, BMGF and DFID contracted hera to conduct two independent external annual organisational and programme reviews in 2012 and 2013, and an impact evaluation in 2014/15. These reviews were vital to assess the performance of these programmes and understand their success in meeting the needs of low- and middle-income countries, while also highlighting areas for further development and improvement.

This work lays the foundation for greater reproductive health worldwide, reducing inequality in access to essential health supplies, and providing choice and empowerment to countless individuals across the globe.