MoH, partners collaboration improves comprehensive abortion care
Research indicates that collaboration between the Ghana Health Service/Ministry of Health (GHS/MOH) and some international health organisations is helping to improve comprehensive abortion care in the country.
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The study has, therefore, recommended that the initiative, currently being carried out in seven districts in the Greater Accra, Ashanti and Eastern regions,should be expanded to the whole country, to reduce the number of women who are injured and die from unsafe abortion.
The initiative, “Reducing maternal mortality and morbidity (R3M)’’ programme, was launched in 2006 by the government, in partnership with five international organisations to improve comprehensive abortion care services in response to the high maternal mortality, driven largely by unsafe abortions.
Results
The partners are working with local private and public institutions under the leadership of GHS/MOH include Ipas, Marie Stopes International, EngenderHealth, Population Council and Willows Foundation.
The study, led by Senior Researcher Aparna Sundaram of the Guttmacher Institute based in the United States of America, analysed 2011-2012 data from 457 providers of obstetric and gynaecologic services in the districts where R3M had been implemented and in other districts in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern and Brong Ahafo regions where the programme had not been implemented.
At a forum to disseminate the results of the study, conducted in 2014, Professor Clement Ahiadeke, former Director of the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER), who was one of the researchers, said the study revealed that a greater proportion of providers exposed to R3M provided safe abortion services and post-abortion care than those not exposed.
It was further realised that from 2007 to 2012, Family Planning and Long Acting and Permanent Methods (LAPM) services delivered by the R3M programme averted 527 maternal deaths and 254,000 unintended pregnancies, Prof.Ahiadeke stated.
Recommendations
The researchers, he said, recommended an expansion of the R3M programme to the entire country. They further proposed greater involvement of non-doctors in PAC provision and the expansion of contraceptive services to reduce unintended pregnancy and need for abortion.
Dr Placide Tapsoba, Country Director of the Population Council, said clients served with Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) under the programme services increased from under 1,000 to over 40,000 between 2007 and 2013.
He said activities related to behaviour change for reproductive health had brought about increases in Contraceptive Prevalent Rate in Tema and Ashaiman from 11.3 per cent to 31.8 per cent and Nima, Maamobi from 10.7 per cent to 26.3 per cent.
Dr Tapsoba added that over 100 facilities were rehabilitated, renovated or constructed to provide standard quality family planning and Comprehensive Abortion Services in selected districts and “centres of excellence were constructed to provide quality clinical training to Reproductive Health Care workers and students from nurse-midwifery and medical schools”.
In addition, he said, the R3M provided commodities and equipment to strengthen Reproductive Health Services, improve quality of care and expand access and quality services.