Reproductive health/family planning in Basrah: evaluation of the knowledge, utilization satisfaction of the service users

Background: Reproductive Health and Family planning is critical for the women’s health and their families, and according to the World Health Organization, the right of having reproductive health services including family planning is identified as one of the targets of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Objectives: This study aimed to explore the utilization of reproductive health services, together with having opinions and satisfaction of the target group regarding these services. Subjects and method: A client satisfaction and knowledge assessment questionnaire was used through health facility exit face to face with a total of 265 women at governmental health facilities in Basrah Results: The study showed that only 27% of the interviewed respondents were completely satisfied with the service they received and among those who were not satisfied, crowding of the health facility was the main cause of non satisfaction. 34% of the respondents were found to have an unmet need for a reproductive health service at the public health facility level. The study also showed that 16% of the respondents found to be using a contraceptive method of which 51% were from the private source. Conclusion: The study showed that the majority of the women aged (15-49) years living in Basrah were not aware of the availability of specific reproductive health services including breast and cervical cancer detection, postnatal care (PNC), Sexually Transmitted Infections (STDs), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), infertility management, gender based violence and youth health services.