IntraHealth Presents 'Working With Private Providers To Reach High Risk Communities' At The GHC

IntraHealth’s Elizabeth Fischer and Saswati Sinha, of Population Services International, will give a roundtable presentation on improving sexually transmitted infection (STI) health care services in India. At the 35th International Conference on Global Health on May 29 they will discuss their experiences working with the Key Clinic Network, a franchise of 800 private practice doctors that operates in four South Indian states: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Private health care providers in these states often do not diagnose and treat STIs effectively, nor do they communicate well with clients about partner treatment or safer sex. Yet men in India usually choose private providers in their community for STI treatment. The Key Clinic project worked to improve private doctors’ STI health care services through a performance improvement framework and through a package of interventions that included customized training workshops, support visits, technical letters, a prepackaged treatment kit, and access to specialist expertise. The project also focused on encouraging the target population to seek care from Key Clinics through media campaigns, street theater, referral coupons, and outreach activities.