Regional News of Friday, 3 April 2009

Source: GNA

Pathfinder implements abortion care project in Northern Ghana

Wa, April 3, GNA - Pathfinder International has, in collaboration with the Ghana health Service, started implementing a Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) project aimed at increasing access to safe abortion care services in 13 districts of the Northern, Upper East and West regions.

The organization has so far increased access to safe abortion services 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, said this when he presented medical equipment worth about GHC 9,000 as part of the CAC project to four hospitals in the Upper West Region at Wa on Friday. 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 would spend 44,000 Ghana cedis to renovate the manual vacuum aspiration and counselling rooms and training of 47 service providers made up of midwives and doctors. 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 instead of helping them to come out of their condition.