Assisting the Government to assess the RH situation in Georgia

Project name : GEO/OR/001 Reproductive Health Survey in Georgia
Budget: USD 178,450
Timeline: 01/11/2004 - 31/02/2005

What is the situation?

Since the early 90s Georgia entered the long period of transition from the Soviet Republic to an autonomous administrative, political, economic and socio-cultural system. During the years of building its independence Georgia went through political instability, armed conflicts and economic crisis, which had major implications for the country's economic, social and health care sectors. After November 2003 the new government has been making every effort to reinforce reforms and implement national development strategies (EDPRP, MDGR) that are based on internationally recognized fundamental principles and development targets, including the programme of action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development ICPD .

At this stage, the availability and reliability of the data plays critical role for Georgian government. The first nationwide Reproductive Health Survey, supported and initiated by UNFPA in 1999, is the only reliable source of RH data for the government and all other key stakeholders in the field. UNFPA assistance provided during 1999-2004 yielded extremely successful results. Now new RH data is needed to measure the impact of projects already implemented on the status of the population and to analyse the priority issues to be addressed by the new Country Programme.

What is our mission?

The project aims to assist the Government to assess the RH situation in the country in light of the ICPD Programme of Action and obtain reliable data to inform the formulation of RH policy. The Reproductive Health Survey Report produced by the project will be available and disseminated to Government, decision makers, SCOs and Donor organizations.

How is UNFPA doing this?

This project is implemented in partnership with the CDC (Atlanta, USA), USAID/Tbilisi, UNFPA and MoLHSA; the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is the implementing agency in Georgia.

This survey will cover a broad array of reproductive health topics, including pregnancy history, abortion, childbearing, contraceptive use, maternal and child health, health behaviours, attitudes toward contraception and other reproductive health issues. In addition the questionnaire will include information needed to evaluate IEC efforts, youth health programmes, knowledge on STDs, including HIVIADS and intimate partner violence.

To contribute to the project output, UNFPA supports the following activities:

• A survey board at the MolHSA has been created to support strengthening technical and operational capacity of the project executing/implementing partners. The board is responsible for the overall implementation of the project and will continue functioning after the closure of the project to ensure sustainability of RH data collection and analysis at the MoLHSA.
• Fifty interviewers and supervisors have been trained to ensure the high quality of the survey;
• UNFPA is supporting field work - it is estimated that a minimum sample size of 6,000 women of reproductive age are needed to yield results with the desired statistical precision. Five teams of interviewers will conduct interviews and collect data;
• After data is analysed and a preliminary report is ready, a conference will be organized for government officials, programme managers and the Georgian reproductive health community in general to present the preliminary report and discuss survey preliminary findings and conclusions. Based on the feedback received, a final report will be developed, published in Georgian and English and presented at the final conference. UNFPA and MoHSA Survey Board will then develop a strategy for fuller dissemination an application of data needs in collaboration with local experts, regional health managers, public and private sector stakeholders.

Who are our partners?

• Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs
• National Centre for Disease Control and Medical Statistics
• Centre for Disease Control
• USAID Tbilisi

How will Georgia benefit?

The Reproductive Health Survey will assess the status of implementation of the ICPD PoA and Millennium Development Goals in Georgia and will serve as baseline data and an analytical tool for the first UNFPA Country Programme in Georgia; furthermore, the survey will help Georgian government to develop appropriate strategies in the field of RH, to strengthen its efforts and effectively allocate its resources for the implementation of the ICPD PoA.

Contact details:

Tamar Khomasuridze,
Assistant Representative, UNFPA Office in Georgia
Tel: (995 32) 25 11 26/28/31 (+142)
khomasuridze@unfpa.org

Paata Imnadze,
Director, National Centre for Disease Control and Medical Statistics
Tel: (995 32) 39 89 46
ncdc@ncdc.org