Integrating RTI service with primary health care

The reproductive health (RH) movement worldwide has brought reproductive tract infections (RTIs) under sharp focus as an urgent health need of women. While RTIs are preventable or treatable, they are often the cause of infertility, ectopic pregnancy, cervical cancer, fetal loss, low birth-weight infants, infant blindness, and neonatal pneumonia. The adverse health effects of RTIs, particularly STIs, is much higher for women than men. Recent research has demonstrated that RTIs are closely linked to other areas of health care like family planning (FP), safe motherhood, child survival, and HIV prevention. Hence, each could significantly contribute to the reduction and control of RTIs. The challenge is how to integrate RTI/STI control and prevention into existing health initiatives. The State Innovations in Family Planning Services Project Agency and the district health authorities conducted operations research to strengthen the public health sector by improving access to and quality of RH services, as detailed in this update on the OR Project in Uttar Pradesh, India.