Global Day of Action to Safe and Legal Abortion celebrated

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UKZN’s South African Medical Students Association (SAMSA) celebrated a Global Day of Action to Safe and Legal Abortions by hosting a workshop at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine in Durban.

The workshop, titled “Maternal Health and Access to Safe and Legal Abortions”, was attended by second year nursing students and first to fourth year Medical students. The workshop aimed to create awareness around issues of maternal health in South Africa and address shortfalls in the Millennium Development Goals in regard to the topic.

‘Termination of Pregnancy is still a highly stigmatised subject, even in our medical curricula. It is therefore vitally important to create a positive discussion on this topic among the medical fraternity and to disregard myths and ensure unprejudiced health care is provided to all South Africans,’ said event organiser, third-year Medical student, Mr Vikar Singh.

Singh is Head of the SAMSA-Standing Committee of Sexual and Reproductive Health including HIV and AIDS (SCORA).

The workshop boasted a number of experts in their chosen field of maternal health who shared their personal stories, maternal health statistics and raised important issues in reference to challenges in the healthcare system.

UKZN’s Obstetrics and Gynaecology honorary Lecturer, Dr Neil Moran, presented on maternal deaths in South Africa especially complications that arise during miscarriages. He said 14% of maternal deaths were due to unsafe abortions.  Moran emphasised the importance of preventing maternal deaths.

Provincial Specialist of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Mpumalanga Department of Health, Dr Roland Mhlanga, shared his experiences on how health professionals previously contributed to maternal deaths by preventing women from accessing safe abortions. He said before South Africa enacted the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act 1996, women were not given a chance to choose. Mhlanga believes termination of pregnancy is an important tool for women to use.

Professor Elna McIntosh, an expert in sexual heath and a popular host of an award winning TV show, InterSEXions, enlightened the audience on the safety of medical abortion versus manual vacuum aspiration.

Medical abortion is medication induced termination of early pregnancy, while aspiration abortion is performed manually in a hospital or health facility.

‘Aspiration abortion is slightly more effective and takes a shorter time to complete. Both medication and aspiration abortions are safe, effective ways to end an early pregnancy,’ McIntosh said.

Other prominent guests included sexual health doctor and Chairman of the Durban Doctors Guild, Mr Padaruth Ramlachan, who addressed sexuality during and after pregnancy and Sister N Msomi, who shared her experiences of stigma working in a Termination of Pregnancy (ToP) clinic at Wentworth Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.

SAMSA-UKZN President, Mr Kumeren Govender, said the event marked an unprecedented collaboration of medical and nursing students with numerous maternal health organisations.

‘Access to quality healthcare and early planning of pregnancy are vital to reduce maternal mortality of which knowledge dissemination to a multidisciplinary team of healthcare workers is key,’ said Govender.

The discussions and talks are available on UKZNTube under: SAMSA: Maternal Health & Access to Safe abortion-http://ukzntube.ukzn.ac.za

 Nombuso Dlamini