ABSTRACT
Distribution systems operate best when they have the least levels necessary to effectively supply all service delivery points. Distribution system is the network of facilities where products are stored and distributed, coupled with transportation resources that move products through the network. A major constraint for public sector contraceptive distribution is its reliance on government funding–government budgets are always uncertain and, in developing countries, are usually insufficient. The goal of a family planning distribution system is to deliver quality contraceptives to customers at minimal cost. In 1989, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Bangladesh decided to streamline its family planning distribution system. In this distribution network, with no intermediate levels, the central warehouse delivers contraceptives directly to all service delivery points. Contraceptive supply chains use one of three distribution models: push or allocation, pull or requisition, and combination of push and pull.
