The majority of clients seeking post-abortion care in Malawi in government and private health facilities are young people, officials have said.
Dr. Juliana Kanyengambeta, Deputy Director of Reproductive Health Directorate said this at an interface meeting, the Centre for Solutions Journalism(CSJ) held with Ministry of Health officials and district health officials in Lilongwe at the weekend.
According to Dr Kanyengambeta, many girls and young women who seek post-abortion treatment show signs of having undergone unsafe abortions.
"The figures of young women seeking post-abortion care from various facilities are staggering," she observed.
She added: "Most clients seeking care are between 15 and 24. We cannot continue turning a blind eye to this reality. We need to take action to address the multifaceted nature of the issue."
Several Post Abortion Coordinators (PAC) from various districts echoed Kanyengambeta's concerns saying the number of the youth flocking to the hospitals with various complications after botched backstreet abortion is high.
Chrissy Kamangwe from Dedza District disclosed that "between January and June this year, Dedza recorded 830 clients seeking Post Abortion Care services, 644 of whom were between the ages of 15 and 25."
"Many of these young women had clear signs of having attempted unsafe abortions," she said.
Similar trends exist in several districts. Kasungu PAC Coordinator Phebby Lodzeni said, "Out of 284 clients treated between January and June, 215 were youths aged between 15 and 25."
Ntchisi District reported treating 228 clients with 117 in the same age bracket. In Salima, out of 390 clients offered post-abortion care services 285 were youths.
A similar trend was in Mchinji where 348 out of 579 post-abortion care clients were aged between 15 and 25.
During the discussions on the magnitude of unsafe abortions among the youth in Malawi, district health officials cited several reasons as contributing factors to the problem.
Lack of knowledge on sexual and reproductive health, the youth's failure to access contraceptives, and restrictive policies and laws were among the factors cited during the discussions.
"We are deeply concerned about the vulnerability of these young girls, many of whom lack knowledge of safe reproductive health options," said one participant during the interface meeting.
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On his part, Francis Lupala from Mchinji said most health workers are committed to providing excellent services, though on some occasions, erratic supply of vital materials hampers their ability to deliver quality care.
The participants urged both state and non-state actors to address the problem of unsafe abortions among the youth, by investing in and promoting sexual health education, scaling up the provision of contraceptives and enacting the Termination of Pregnancy Bill.
"The passing of the Termination of Pregnancy Bill will enable us as healthcare providers to offer safe services to young women who suffer various degrees of complications and even die at the hands of herbalists. Unfortunately, when the women suffer complications from the herbalists or traditional birth attendants, they come to the hospitals when their situation is dire," said one participant.
He said it was a pity that Malawi is failing to review the outdated law on abortion enacted during the colonial era.
Centre for Solutions Journalism (CSJ), alongside its partners, the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), the Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre (MHRRC) and the Malawi SRHR Alliance are implementing the Breaking the Barriers Project.
The project aims to improve safe motherhood in Malawi by promoting access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, including access to safe abortion.
