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Ganga Shakya, MD, Family Health Division, Nepal Department of Health Service, Ministry of Health/Department of Health Services, Family Health Division, Teku, Nepal, (977-1) 426 2155, tcic.fhd@wlink.com.np, Sabitri Kishore, MD, Family Health Division, Nepal Department of Health Services, Ministry of Health/Department of Health Services, Family Health Division, Teku, Nepal, and Cherry Bird, Nepal Department of Health Services, Family Health Division, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Health/Department of Health Services, Family Health Division, Teku, Nepal.
Following the recent legalisation of abortion in Nepal, the task of implementing quality safe abortion services on a national scale, and as rapidly as possible, is a daunting one. With this in mind, a number of specific approaches have been incorporated into the national training and implementation strategy developed. These include using a cascade approach to expand training from an initial few selected districts across the country as quickly as possible, and initial purposive selection of service providers and trainers from among experienced gynaecologists and Post-Abortion Care (PAC) service providers, with the aim of ensuring high standards of services from the beginning. Other efforts to ensure quality services include using a standardised, competency based training approach, and emphasising the importance of providing “woman friendly” services, which focus on addressing the needs of women, such as confidentiality, adequate pain control and sensitive counselling. Physicians from medical colleges and private clinics have been included in government training to promote the inclusion of safe abortion in pre-service training, and to ensure the required standards are met in private clinics. Nurses will also be trained as service providers so that services can be made available down to primary health care level, and, in small under staffed district hospitals. Barriers to the rapid establishment of quality services have been minimised through the adoption of simple listing and certification systems based on the skills of the provider, and only basic requirements for facilities.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Abortion, Developing Countries
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.