By Fatima Muraina
An Advocate for Sexual Reproductive Health has raised the need to expand Post Abortion Care Services (PAC) in order to curb the high rate of Maternal Morality in Nigeria.
The ipas Country Director, Barr. Hauwa Shekarau raised the need while presenting a paper at a capacity building of the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists held in Ibadan, Oyo state recently.
Barr. Shekarau, who spoke on " Updates on Maternal Deaths and Abortion incidence in Nigeria : A look at The Guttmacher study urged governments at all levels to provide modern and less invasion methods of Post Abortion Care.
She said Health care providers should be sufficiently trained to administer PAC services when needed urgently and to liberalise abortion law to reduce maternal death significantly.
According to her, the legal restriction does not stop abortion incidences but only drives services underground creating more room for clandestine services.
Quoting the study done by Guttmacher in collaboration with the University of Ibadan in 2012 and released in 2015, Shekarau said 'An estimated 1.25million induced abortions were performed in Nigeria in 2012 with an annual abortion rate at 33percent per 1,000 women aged 15-49 while the abortion ratio was 19 abortions per 100 live births".
Despite the law, women seeking abortion services Shekarau noted procure abortion when needed.
She called for the promotion of high quality family planning progress through counselling with a wide range of contraceptive options and for women to easily switch methods when needed.
