Information on the total number of facilities offering a specific service and the total population (or relevant subgroup) in the catchment area.

Data Source(s):

Program records on the service delivery infrastructure; census data on size of population in the catchment area

Purpose:

This indicator gives a broad sense of the density of service delivery points for specific types of RH interventions. It can be useful for advocacy purposes in creating awareness of the deficiencies in the service delivery environment for particular services.

Issue(s):

Caveats for this indicator include the following. First, although this indicator gives a ratio of service delivery points per population, it does not reflect the geographical distribution of such points. In the case where service delivery facilities cluster in urban areas, this indicator may yield a more favorable estimate of access to services than individuals in rural areas actually experience. Second, it is easier to collect information on the availability of some services than of others. For example, many countries have fairly accurate lists of family planning services through government or NGO facilities. However, they may not track the number of pharmacies that carry contraception and other RH products, and thus may underestimate the access of the population to these commodities. In more controversial subject areas, such as postabortion care, facilities may provide services but not publicize them widely, and thus may create undercounts on this indicator for those services. A third caveat is that services may exist “on paper” but not at the actual field site.