What is the impact of price changes on contraceptive use?
Experimental research on the impact of prices on both revenues and access to family planning in sub-Saharan Africa must be conducted to give policy-makers the information they need to develop rational pricing policies. This research must assess the impact of prices at individual facilities on demand for family planning overall — not simply at the facility instituting prices. It must also assess whether or not the impact of price changes varies depending on the length of effectiveness of contraceptive methods. • Are certain groups more likely to stop using services when fees are introduced? There is a growing body of evidence that fees may cause large reductions in service use among poorer groups. This effect is masked in research conducted on the general population of family planning clients. More research should be conducted to ascertain the differential effects of fees on service use among clients at different income levels. Similar information is needed to determine if fees have a
