Globally, abortion complications are a major problem. About 20 million women undergo unsafe abortion procedures annually, translating into 38 unsafe abortions every minute. Furthermore, 70,000 women die annually from the complications of unsafe abortion, and of these deaths, 98 percent occur in developing countries. In Africa, unsafe abortion is a major public health problem due to the limited access to reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) information and services that result in increased unwanted pregnancies. Women in Africa are the most likely to die from unsafe abortion. About one out of every 150 abortions in Africa results in the woman’s death, and for every death, 15 to 19 others suffer debilitating morbidity.
In August 1999, organizations providing RH services in sub-Saharan Africa came together to review challenges and constraints to providing post-abortion care (PAC) services and pave the way forward. This paper describes the lessons learned from reviewing the challenges. Recommendations for improving PAC in sub-Saharan Africa include:
- Creating a supportive policy environment for increasing access, availability, and acceptance of PAC.
- Standardizing PAC services, policy guidelines, and training materials.
- Building capacity for ongoing training of providers who can offer high quality PAC services.
- Improving supervision and quality of services.
- Educating the community and promoting community participation.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the audience will be able to: 1. Explain the urgent problems and challenges for promoting and expanding PAC services in sub-Saharan Africa. 2. Describe recommendations for improving PAC services in the region
Keywords: Post-Abortion Care,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.