Harnessing Community Pharmacy Conduits for Improved Access to Family Planning Services in Developing Economies

Most developing countries have significant shortages in the healthcare workforce, with their women of reproductive age suffering from unmet needs for family planning services (FPSs). This chapter presents community pharmacists (CPs) as under-exploited healthcare assets for bridging this gap against the backdrop of the sustainable development goals. With improving clinical skills and changing consumer preferences, precedence in developed health systems, and evidence of benefits from pilot-scale interventions based on the task-shifting policy, CPs can expand access to FPSs, especially to remote, underserved communities. The chapter presents empirical local evidence of customer satisfaction with community pharmacy-led FPSs while identifying challenges to their integration into the family planning architecture within the building blocks of the health systems of developing countries.