The availability of emergency contraception from family health centers in Turkey

Abstract

Reproductive health care, including contraception, is a fundamental aspect of any public health care system and it is important to reduce barriers to access to all forms of contraception, including emergency contraception. In recent years, the rhetoric of pronatalism in Turkey has come to dominate and raises questions about the availability of reproductive health care services, in particular contraception, from state run facilities. This study aimed to determine the availability of dedicated emergency contraception (EC) from government run Family Health Centers (FHCs) in Turkey. In 2019, a team of trained researchers called a random sample of 583 FHCs located in the largest cities in twelve regions across Turkey asking for dedicated EC. Dedicated EC is largely unavailable from government supported FHCs. Only 6.1% stated that they provided EC while 53.8% stated that it was not available and that they could provide no alternative. A further 28.3% declared that they could provide an alternative to dedicated EC that almost always consisted of oral contraceptives. We found statistically significant variations in response rate and availability among cities as well as the rate of referral to pharmacies. There is little access to EC from government sponsored health clinics designated to provide family planning services, which hinders access to an essential reproductive health care service that should be available to women everywhere.