Transcript Abortion care for young women

Misoprostol: Challenging restrictive
Laws & faiths in rural Tanzania
WPC’s Experience Addressing Women’s Abortion Need in Rural Communities
Abortion in Tanzania
•Tanzania among East African countries
leading in maternal deaths
•13,000 maternal deaths annually of
which 18% (2,340) from unsafe abortions
•Only 5% of health facilities provide post
Abortion care
•Culturally unspoken and Taboo topic
•Strongly Influenced by religious
•Legally restricted (allowed only
saving women’s life and mental
health grounds but difficult access)
Sources: - The National Road Map Strategic Plan to Accelerate Reduction of Maternal, Newborn and Child
Deaths in Tanzania 2008 – 2015
- http://www.tzonline.org/pdf/abortionandfamilyplanninintanzania.pdf
- http://www.hkmu.ac.tz/images/uploads/Mwaikambo.lecture_.pdf
Abortion in Tanzania
Women resort to unsafe abortion practices
Misoprostol in Tanzania
• Registered for PPH since 2007
• Experimented in Government hospitals in 4 districts
(Ifakara project)
• Now promoted & supported by government for PPH only
• But still unknown by community members, especially in
rural settings
• Expensive in private sector
WPC Experience with Miso
Successful strategies
• Analysis of local context
• Training of CAAS
• Mouth to mouth campaign
• Local pharmacy
• Development of chants
• Quick chart cards (thought-provoking questions)
• Informal panels/workshop during national
networking events
• Alliance Building with health professionals
(doctors, distributors)
WPC Experience with Miso
Strategies at glance
WPC Experience with Miso
Failure Strategies
• Stickers
• Landline phone
WPC Experience with Miso
Fears, challenges & Solutions
• Safety and stigma issues v/s rights guaranteed in national policies
(constitutional right to get & provide info @ art 8; National health
policy, Strategic plan to reduce maternal mortality), community
health approach, PPH & registration of Miso as entry point
• Literacy issue v/s Translation of materials in local language
• Taboos & religious fundamentalism v/s PPH as entry point,
exposure of consequences of unsafe abortion, putting discussion
in the context of women sufferance, involvement of moderated
religious actors, quick charts with thought-provoking questions
• Expensiveness of Miso v/s Opening of a local pharmacy, alliance
with doctors and pharmacists
• Safety after abortion process v/s alliance with doctors for quick
and easy referral
WPC Experience with Miso
Fears and challenges (unresolved)
• Women’s poor economic power
• Stigma and fear
• Opposition
• Fake Misoprostol supplied
• Funding shortage
• Disinterest of CAAs
• No control of regimen (dosage)
Successes
More details @
WOW partners’ session
Thanks for your Attention