Many women who carried the burden of unwanted pregnancies, went to the informal service providers, often with disastrous consequences. There were no certified abortion facilities in the block when ARTH started its work. Given the need, ARTH decided to start the provision of safe abortion services. ARTH’s clinical facilities were certified by the State Government in December 1999.
A gynaecologist visits the centres on fixed days once a week from 10 AM to 4 PM throughout the year. First trimester MTP services are provided during those fixed days using medical abortion drugs. A trained paramedic/nurse midwife acts as a back-up to address post MTP complications, if any. Two nurse midwives have a role in pre-MTP counselling, screening and follow up after the procedure.
ARTH’s health centres do not insist that women who seek abortions services bring their husbands or another attendant with them. This is especially crucial to women because of high rates of migration of men from the area. Men visit the villages periodically, and wives often come to know about their pregnancy after the husband has gone back to the city.
Till September 2024, ARTH’s centres have provided MTPs to 15,488 women. The proportion of women seeking medical abortion has been steadily increasing over the last few years. The safe abortion services provided by ARTH demonstrate that it is feasible to provide first trimester abortions in rural interiors with a system of visiting doctors and locally resident nurse-midwives, using MVA and/or medical abortion.