TY - JOUR T1 - Accessible Contraceptive Implant Removal Services: An Essential Element of Quality Service Delivery and Scale-Up JF - Global Health: Science and Practice JO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT SP - 366 LP - 372 DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-16-00096 VL - 4 IS - 3 AU - Megan Christofield AU - Maryjane Lacoste Y1 - 2016/09/28 UR - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/4/3/366.abstract N2 - Use of contraceptive implants has surged in recent years, yet emerging data show a deficit of service delivery capacity and coverage for implant removals. The number of projected removals needed in the 69 FP2020 focus countries in 2018 (4.9–5.8 million) is more than twice that estimated for 2015 (2.2 million). We must proactively plan and execute high-quality implant removal services in order to fulfill the exceptional promise of implants in meeting client needs and advancing toward FP2020 goals.This article was drafted on behalf of the Implants Access Program Operations Group, comprised of representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). It was established as a working group to proactively and reactively address operational and service delivery issues arising from increased country-level availability of implants. The overall goal of this group is to improve coordination around LARC service delivery, including investigating and addressing country operational issues arising from wider availability of implants in-country and making recommendations for the way forward to appropriate stakeholders.Renewed investment in scaling up contraceptive implants has resulted in a dramatic increase in their use since 2012. The surge is due in part to the reduction in price and increases in donor investments made through the Implants Access Program (a collaboration between public and private organizations to make implants accessible to women in the world’s poorest countries) and ministerial prioritization and support to facilities and providers, as well as user preference. Among the 69 Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) focus countries, prevalence of injectables and implants is growing faster than all other contraceptive methods; in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, and Zimbabwe, the percentage of women ages 15–49 using implants is growing by over 1 percentage point … ER -