Annet Dungu, head of maternity at Nabweru Health Centre IIIs, says the numbers could be more because those who seek post abortion care services in private facilities are not captured.
The number of
women, more so teenagers seeking post-abortion care services in health centers
in Nansana Municipality is on the increase.
Records
indicate that each of the 13 health centers in the municipality at least receive
a patient seeking post-abortion care services each day.
Kawanda and Nabweru Health Centres record the
highest numbers with at least six patients.
Annet Dungu, head of maternity at
Nabweru Health Centre IIIs, says the numbers could be more because those who
seek post abortion care services in private facilities are not captured.
She says most
of the patients only resort to Health Centers after developing serious complications
resulting from self-induced abortions.
//Cue in: “embeera
nyingi nnyo…
Cue out…akyayinza
okuffa.”//
Ddungu’s worry is that most of the patients are teenage girls,
majority of them school girls.
She says it
would be better if girls of reproductive age are introduced to the different
family planning methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies, which push them to
abort.
Dr. Robert Kagwire, the Nansana Municipal Health Officer,
says a simple interpretation of the abortion rate is that many girls end up
with unwanted pregnancies and shows the poor uptake of family planning
services.
The uptake of contraceptives in
Nansana municipality stands at only 14 percent.
Dr. Kagwire blames the low uptake of family planning services to misconceptions
and the busy schedules of the would be users.
He says that
many family planning products expire in health center stores thus causing
losses to government.
//Cue in: “If such
products…
Cue out…with
complications.”//
Luganda byte
//Cue in: “Anti kati
abantu…
Cue out…abasuka
mubasatu.”//
Dr. Kagwire notes there is need to exhaust all avenues of
making family planning services and contraceptive education available to all
those requiring them.
He says they are planning to combat the situation by
taking family planning sensitization and services to households, communities
and business centers.
Kagwire says they will also use the same avenues to reach out
to men who they think block their partners from enrolling on family planning
services.
Betty Namata, a
village health team member and vendor at Yesu Amala Daily Market, says at times
people get busy and don’t find to visit health centers unless they are sick.
She believes
that when services are brought to them they can access them as they do their
cores.
