Pathfinder starts abortion care project in Northern Ghana

Wa, April 7, GNA - Pathfinder International, Ghana, has in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, started implementing a Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) project, aimed at increasing access to safe abortion care to women in 13 districts of the Northern, Upper East and West Regions.

The Organization has so far increased access to safe abortion services within the confines of the Abortion Law (PNDC Law 102 of 1985) by refurbishing and equipping 10 health facilities and trained 70 nurse-midwives and doctors in CAC, including manual vacuum aspiration and medical abortion.

Over 400 Community health nurses have also been trained as community advocates for safe abortion and quality health care to deliver messages forcefully at community events. Mr. Moses Nanang, Reproductive Health Programme Manager of Pathfinder International, made this known when he presented medical equipment worth about GH¢ 9,000.00 as part of the CAC project to four hospitals in the Upper West region at Wa. The equipment made up of beds, surgical instruments, pedal dust bins, hand washing trolleys and adjustable lamps would be distributed to the Wa Regional Hospital and the Nadowli, Lawra and Sissala East district hospitals.

Mr. Nanang said Pathfinder International, Ghana, would spend a total of GH¢44,000.00 on the renovation of the manual vacuum aspiration and counselling rooms and the training of 47 service providers, made up of midwives and doctors.

He appealed to the media in the region to support the CAC project to enable it to succeed in reducing the high mortality rate in the region, which was partly attributed to unsafe abortion. Dr Jacob Abebrese, Medical Director of the Wa Regional Hospital, who received the equipment on behalf of the beneficiaries, said people should not be judgmental by condemning women who abort pregnancies but help them to come out of their conditions.

He assured the organization that the equipment would be used for its intended purpose to reduce maternal mortality in the region.