Insupply Health in collaboration with Kenya’s Ministry of Health (MoH) Division for Reproductive and Maternal Health, and other key partners, is spearheading an initiative to optimize pharmacy channels for family planning (FP) services.
The Optimizing the Pharmacy Channel (OPC) Project aims to increase access to quality contraceptive services, including implants, by strengthening community and retail pharmacies as reliable service points by 2027.
Speaking at the Optimizing the Pharmacy Channel Workshop in Nairobi, Wanjiru Munene, Regional Manager for Market Access and Shaping at Insupply Health, emphasized the significance of expanding pharmacy access for FP options for women and girls.
“The OPC project is designed to increase access to an expanded and quality family planning method choice, including implants, through a strengthened pharmacy channel in Kenya,” Munene said.
The OPC project builds upon Kenya’s 2018 National Family Planning Guidelines for Service Providers, which permitted trained pharmacists to offer a broader range of contraceptives, including injectables. It complements Insupply Health’s ongoing efforts to develop a scalable pharmacy business model that ensures women can receive convenient, discreet, and high-quality FP services.
According to Yasmin Chandani, CEO of Insupply Health, pharmacies are an essential part of Kenya’s primary healthcare system and can play a bigger role in FP service provision.
“Pharmacies are often the first point of care for many Kenyans. However, they have not been fully leveraged for advanced family planning services. By creating awareness and demand, women will increasingly seek client-centered FP services at pharmacies,” Chandani said.
The initiative is being implemented in ten counties, including Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Kisumu, and Uasin Gishu. The project encompasses formative research to identify barriers, feasibility studies on implant provision, pharmacist training, and policy advocacy to support incremental regulatory changes.
One of the key objectives of the OPC project is to create a more enabling environment for young people to access contraceptive services. Bridget Deacon, CEO of Shujaaz Inc., highlighted that while many young people are aware of contraceptive options, stigma and unwelcoming healthcare spaces deter them from seeking services.
“Adolescent pregnancies occur not because young people lack knowledge, but because societal norms make them fear seeking contraceptive services due to judgment and stigma. Pharmacies provide a safe space for them to access self-care products discreetly,” Deacon explained.
By training 500 pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists, the initiative seeks to ensure FP services are youth-friendly, with professionals equipped to offer advanced family planning counseling and tailored support.
The OPC project aligns with Kenya’s Total Market Approach, which aims to reduce the burden on public healthcare facilities by integrating private-sector solutions. As part of this effort, pharmacies will be equipped to provide self-care contraceptives, such as self-injectable DMPA-SC, empowering women to manage their reproductive health independently.
“Family planning is a development agenda. Countries that have progressed economically have done so by investing in family planning,” Chandani noted.
With continued research and policy engagement, the OPC project could pave the way for long-term pharmacy involvement in FP services, ensuring that women and girls across Kenya can access contraception where, when, and how they need it.
As the project progresses,Insupply Health the Ministry of Health and its partners will use study findings to inform further policy shifts and expand pharmacy-based FP services. If successful, the initiative could serve as a model for other countries seeking to leverage pharmacies in strengthening reproductive healthcare access.
