Hausala Sajheedari (Engaging Private Health Facilities for Family Planning)

Uttar Pradesh is committed to contributing almost 26 percent of country's FP 2020 goal to achieve population stabilization. To fulfil this enormous task, the number of eligible couples using contraceptive needs to double in next 6 years which translates to increasing the current users of modern family planning from 1.27 crore to 2.45 crore eligible couples. Government of Uttar Pradesh clearly envisions a complementary role that the private health care providers can play alongside the public health sector, to exponentially expand access to quality FP services for the potential clients to choose from, thereby increasing use of need for family planning.

The state government, inviting the private health facilities and private sector surgeons to join hands with the government and complement in its efforts to stabilize the population growth, has launched a unique initiative called 'Hausala Sajheedari' wherein the state policy on accreditation of private health care facility and empaneling private sector qualified surgeons for family planning has been comprehensively revised and detailed guidelines issued. Hausala Sajheedari takes the help of ICT to deliver a smooth and efficient system wherein an online web-portal based interactive system has been designed and implemented under the program. GoUP has formed an apex committee called State Task Force (STF) and also established a Private Sector Partnership (PSP) cell at the state level for leadership and overall management of the program.

Hausala Sajheedari works under the leadership, supervision and monitoring of a State Task Force, an apex body constituted under the patronage of the Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Government of Uttar Pradesh, and led by the Executive Director, SIFPSA (State Innovations in Family Planning Services Project Agency). SIFPSA has been designated as the nodal agency at the state level to implement this program. A 4-member Private Sector Provider (PSP) cell serves as a secretariat to the State Task Force. The PSP cell, nested at SIFPSA, looks after the web portal management, problem solving and overall process oversight of the program implementation at the state level, including promotion of the program, online verification of the application, monitoring progress, and processing reimbursement of claims.

Private health facilities can now get accreditation by simply logging in to the web portal. Anyone seeking accreditation for his or her clinic simply has to follow the instructions given at every step. There is an audio-video tutorial as well on the home page. Facility owners can do their own evaluation against a checklist and if they meet the eligibility criteria the portal will automatically generate a letter of interest. The office of the corresponding Chief Medical Officer will also get an alert simultaneously to initiate the next step, that is, physical verification of the health facility.

Health facilities can check their application status online. Facilities denied accreditation will be given reasons for rejection. Owners of health facilities approved for accreditation will be invited to sign a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Private Facility, the Chief Medical Officer, and SIFPSA. Surgeons who meet the eligibility criteria for providing surgical family planning services can also get empanelled with the office of the Chief Medical Officer. Empanelment becomes necessary for the surgeon to be indemnified against litigations in case of eventualities. Accredited facilities will be able to upload details of family planning services they have provided and seek reimbursement and compensation.