Romania Core Package Final Report: A Policy Approach to Contraceptive Security in Romania, 2000-2003 POLICY (March 2004)  Full Document (English)      Order for free      email to me  Contraceptive security, defined as a condition when all women and men who need and want contraceptives can obtain them (Sine and Sharma, 2002), is a new concept in Romania. Nonetheless, in August 2000, the government approved—for the first time ever—policies that included a budget line item for contraceptives and the provision of free commodities to vulnerable population sectors. The August 2000 policies were broad, and implementation problems soon emerged. In response, the USAID-funded POLICY Project (POLICY) provided a focused package of technical assistance (TA) that lasted from March 2001 to December 2002 to help the government of Romania (GOR) to target those most in need and improve family planning equity. POLICY assistance contributed to four GOR policy decisions that occurred between 2001 and 2003: 1. Increased Ministry of Health and Family (MOHF) resources for free contraceptives in 2001 and 2002 2. Generic contraceptive formularies covered by social health insurance (2002) 3. Norms for government funding of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) involved in public health programs, including providing free contraceptives to the poor (approved in 2003) 4. Self-certification of poverty status as documentary proof for access to free contraceptives (2003)