The 4th Third Party Evaluation of Lady Health Workers Program (LHW Program)

Oxford Policy Management conducted the External Evaluation of the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare, commonly called the Lady Health Worker (LHW) Programme. The Evaluation process took place between December 2007 and November 2009. The Evaluation included financial and economic analysis of the national programme for Family Planning and Primary Healthcare, a management and system review, and a qualitative survey to observe the socioeconomic benefits and experiences of the Lady Health Workers and a large quantitative survey. There are 11 reports from this survey. The project was handled largely from the OPM Islamabad office, and combined a number of local consultants and staff to undertake the fieldwork. Five national-level service delivery surveys were conducted both in areas served and not served by the Lady Health Workers. Descriptive statistics and complex modelling were used to determine the impact of the programme on improved health and family planning outcomes.

The LHW Programme is an increasingly important element in the Government of Pakistan’s plan to improve the health status of women and children in villages and poor urban areas. The Programme has expanded substantially since it was founded in the early 1990s. Over 80 million people now have access to services from a LHW in their community.

The third independent programme evaluation in 2000 showed that these services have a positive impact on the health of the poor, particularly women and children. It showed that through their work, LHWs are contributing directly to improved hygiene and higher levels of contraceptive use, iron supplementation and vaccination amongst their clients. In 2008, over 90% of communities reported that the LHW Programme has generally improved peoples lives and that there have been improvements in health due to the LHWs work.

The Province / region wise detail evaluation reports is available by clicking the link below.

4th Third Party Evaluation Report