The misuse of the safe abortion medicines is on the rise after the users themselves started to use the medicines for abortion on their own.[break]
The government has started providing medicines for safe abortion services from 2065 BS after it was found that use of equipments for abortion had many side effects on women undergoing abortion through this method.
With this service, one can easily get the safe abortion medicines and the number of people visiting the health institutions with different problems of its side effects has increased.
According to the Central office of the Family Planning Association Nepal, at least 35 women visit the safe abortion centres to receive the safe abortion service in a month. Of them, five come with problems that occurred after using the medicines on their own.
The association said the number of women visiting the centres with this problem is high.
Nursing officer of the Association, Yashoda Nepal, said women visit different clinics for undergoing pregnancy tests and clinics prescribe medicines without any proper health check-up, and women have to bear various problems due to lack of knowledge of method for using medicines.
Nepal added that the medicine users take the medicine as they like though it should be used under the supervision of health workers.
Sometimes, women could even lose their lives if timely treatment is not provided to them.
Serious problem will surface if treatment is not started in time neglecting different symptoms like vomiting and continuous bleeding among others.
She advised the women who want to terminate their pregnancy to visit the authorized health institutions for safe abortion service.
One of the targets mentioned in the Millennium Development Goal is to decrease the maternity mortality rate. Six women have been losing their lives each day in the country during their pregnancy period.
Data provided by the government shows that seven per cent women lost their lives due to unsafe abortion.
The government has given authority to the Maternity Hospital, Thapathali, for the safe abortion service in 2052 BS after problems were seen on women as well as situation of losing their lives created due to unsafe abortion.
All the authorized health institutions have started to provide the abortion through medicines. The service was started from 2065. The womb up to nine weeks could be aborted through the medicine.
A total of 11,369 had received the abortion service through machines and medicines throughout the country last year, according to data of the association.
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