Managing family planning programs, including programs that offer female and/or male sterilization, requires systems-level thinking in which the program manager considers all components of a comprehensive service delivery model. Such components include:

• Developing, maintaining, and updating clinical guidelines for providers
• Training and supervision strategies
• Logistics arrangements for ensuring availability of the method and related instruments and supplies needed to provide it
• Organizing services
• Marketing and educational strategies
• Procedures for counseling and ensuring informed choice and informed consent
• Follow-up plans for clients

In short, the program manager needs to be aware of and involved in all components of the service delivery system that are covered in this toolkit. This particular section of the toolkit includes resources related to the high-level functions that the program manager is primarily responsible for, such as deciding on a programming model, quality considerations, and  scale-up of services.

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