MSI Zambia launch generates frank support from government
Lusaka - Marie Stopes International Zambia has hosted an official launch event in Lusaka to mark its first year of operation. At the launch, which included guests from the government, the donor community, media, and civil society, MSI Zambia Country Director, Emma Warwick and a representative from the Ministry of Health outlined how the programme is reducing unsafe abortion and preventing HIV.
According to the 2007 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey, 54.6 per cent of the sexually active 19 year olds have already begun childbearing. Research has indicated that up to 80 per cent of all women who are treated for complications of unsafe abortions are under 19 years old.
The permanent secretary to the Ministry of Health, Dr Velepi M’tonga, noted in her speech that the problem of high unsafe abortion morbidity and mortality was of great concern to the government and that it was developing new standards and guidelines to help to protect women.
“We still need to ensure that not a single woman dies from a pregnancy related condition. What is saddening is that in Zambia, of all the women that die from pregnancy related conditions, about 30% of them are because of unsafe abortions,” she said.
In her speech, Dr M’tonga also welcomed MSI Zambia, saying the government was pleased to see that MSI had stepped in to provide more choices in sexual and reproductive health services.
Emma Warwick outlined how MSI Zambia was working towards sustained strengthening of the reproductive health sector. As part of this, the MSI Zambia team has established a number of partnerships with local district health management teams, private sector practitioners and fellow NGOs to increase access to all methods of family planning, provide post-abortion care and male circumcision services.
Senior Advisor to the MSI Global Partnership, Getachew Bekele, explained how the MSI Partnership as a whole aimed to achieve financial sustainability and set quality of care standards to increase client satisfaction and help improve standards across the reproductive health care sector.
MSI Zambia Clinical Services Manager, Dr Ameck Kamanga, then gave a moving testimony of his experience in the Emergency Gynaecology ward at Lusaka’s University Teaching Hospital where he worked for eight years. He said most women referred to the ward were young or girls who had undergone unsafe abortion services. “Firstly, we want fewer abortions to occur. We want to prevent abortions by meeting the unmet need for family planning. We want to increase access to family planning, particularly for young women and for older women for whom pregnancy may be risky, in both rural and urban areas.”
Dr Kamanga went on to explain that the reality was that unsafe abortions went on everyday. MSI Zambia didn’t advocate abortion, but advocated for increased access to family planning and for expanded access safe comprehensive abortion care.
The launch was a huge success and attracted good coverage throughout Zambia including articles in the main commercial and state national newspapers and on both TV and radio via Zambia’s public broadcaster, ZNBC. All of which has helped to raise awareness of sexual and reproductive health issues and the MSI Zambia’s commitment to providing a range of quality services to the men and women of Zambia.