Sipokazi Maposa
9 November 2009
Provincial state hospitals and clinics performing abortions are under pressure as they battle to attract and retain staff due to a growing unwillingness among staffers to perform the procedure.
The situation is so serious that two rural districts in the province, Eden and Central Karoo, have had to outsource a private service provider in order to assure continued access.
The provincial Department of Health has since raised concerns, saying that some institutions were increasingly becoming deserted due to staff refusal to perform abortions.
According to the department's 2008/09 annual report, the unwillingness of staff to perform abortions had resulted in unmanageable increases at facilities where staff were willing to perform the procedure. The result had been reduced access to the service.
Health department head Professor Craig Househam said while the trend was worrying, it was also complex as the department could not compel staff to perform the procedure as per the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, which gave them the right to refuse.
Even more worrying, he said, was the fact that it was younger staff in the health sector who were unwilling to perform abortions. This could result in major problems when the older staff retired or left.
Dr Joey Cupido, deputy director general of District Health Services, said the department was exploring ways of sustaining the programme in the public sector.
According to the figures, almost 25.7 percent of 14 257 terminations that were done at public hospitals during the 2008/09 financial year, were in the second trimester. At least 21.4 percent were performed on teenagers.
Househam said that in an effort to relieve pressure on facilities, the department was looking at different measures, including promotion of contraceptive services to women through education.
The department was also exploring initiatives such as identifying certain clinics to become adolescent-friendly. He said another factor that may have contributed to the refusals by staff to perform terminations was due to the fact that many mothers presented in their second trimester, making it "traumatic" for staff to perform terminations.
The department was also offering more counselling to encourage staff to perform termination of pregnancies.
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