Indra Tumur is Country Director for Marie Stopes Mongolia. She utilizes her prior experience in pharmaceutical market access to raise awareness and knowledge in sexually transmitted infections and sexual and reproductive health, social marketing of family planning messages and products that improve access to comprehensive family planning/STI/HIV prevention for improved quality of life for all. She holds a postgraduate diploma in epidemiology from the London School of Economics and Hygiene and an MRes in community health care from the University of Manchester.

“Indra’s business savvy approach is representative of this generation’s wave of young entrepreneurs. She has taken a business approach to FP and thinks commercial businesses can provide from FP.“

– Nominator

Describe your contributions to and achievements in family planning.

In 2015, Mongolia’s program consisted of a centre that provides core and non-core family planning and reproductive health services and a substantial social marketing business. Marie Stopes International Mongolia (MSIM) utilises social marketing and sales of condoms and other methods of contraception in order to promote contraception and increase access across Mongolia. The population of Mongolia is 3 million and MSIM sells over 5 million TRUST condoms a year. In 2015 under my leadership MSI Mongolia’s FP portfolio has reached 50% of Mongolia’s total contraceptive market share and 70% of condom market share.

What sparked your passion for family planning?

Realisation that development only happens when the society is healthy. The pillars of the clear minded and educated society are healthy and happy families where children are born by choice, not chance.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your family planning efforts, and what have you done to overcome it?

Stigma and misconceptions. Our target groups are mainly young people. These are people who are the most vulnerable, yet the most agile too. We try to understand why certain brands are so successful in reaching these groups and the mentality behind it. We try to promote our services and products utilising the same methods that big brands use.

What is your (country/region/city)’s biggest challenge in family planning, and how can it be addressed?

Mongolia’s biggest challenge is illegal/unsafe abortions that has reached the level of national security. We want policies and environment to change to allow safe abortions to be performed in walk-in centres and more emphasis are given by the government to contraception. We are currently working with DANIDA to tackle these issues and have so far reached some important milestones. We proposed a legislation to Parliament to locate condoms in high risk premises such hotels, bars etc.

What do you want to accomplish in the next 5 years?

50% reduction in unsafe abortions and increase of post-abortion FP uptake to 60%.