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 four days a week from 10 AM to 4 PM throughout the year. First trimester MTP services are provided using medical abortion drugs. A trained paramedic/nurse-midwife acts as a back-up to address post MTP complications, if any. Two nurse midwives conduct pre-MTP counselling, screening and follow up after the procedure.

ARTH’s health centres do not insist that women who seek abortion 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 March 2025, ARTH’s centres have provided MTPs to 15,500 women. 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.