Transfer saves 3,000 IUDs from possible expiry and non-use

Three thousand intra-uterine devices (IUDs) have been saved from possible expiry and non-use—yielding more than $2,000 in cost savings and in human terms, averting an estimated 1,993 unwanted pregnancies. This transfer was made possible by the West Africa Health Organization (WAHO), a founding member of the RHSC and a key member of the Coordinated Assistance for Reproductive Health Supplies (CARhs) group. In January 2017, Benin’s Ministry of Health turned to WAHO for support in transferring its excess IUD stock. Since commodity transfers between countries is one of CARhs’ strategies for addressing stock imbalances, WAHO and CARhs identified the Ministry of Health in Togo as the recipient for the product, which was officially received on June 9, 2017.  Since the introduction of post-partum IUDs in Togo, women's use of this product increased from 0.6% in 2013 to 4% in 2017.