COVID-19 SAFE ABORTION RESPONSE MAP
Preventing unsafe abortions during the pandemic
Each year, 7 million women are admitted to the hospital as a result of an unsafe abortion. (WHO, 2020)
The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts on a woman's ability to access safe abortions. The suspension of family planning outreach programs, movement restrictions, disruptions in the supply chain and, fear of contracting COVID-19 have all prevented women from being able to make informed and safe reproductive health choices.
ABOUT THE COVID-19 SAFE ABORTION RESPONSE MAP
As COVID-19 spread around the world, many international non-governmental organisations working in the safe abortion space rapidly adapted their health programs to maintain service delivery while preventing their clients, staff, and communities from contracting COVID-19.
The map specifically highlights how six international organisations adapted their safe abortion and post-abortion care (PAC) programs to the evolving COVID-19 context.
The map captures their stories of resilience, digital innovation, and persistent advocacy to maintain access to safe abortions and PAC during the pandemic.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Click on any country or point for more information. Scroll through all interventions in each country by clicking on the arrow of the top of the pop-up box. Scroll to the end of the document to view map category definitions.
To prevent unsafe abortions, providers, government officials and advocates had to rapidly adapt to the evolving COVID-19 context.
Interact with the map to explore the COVID-19 safe abortion adaptations.
Click on the top-left double arrow on the map to filter the data.
Map data: WHO (2021). The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement.
To better understand the impact of the adaptations, click on the points on the map to follow Davina on her safe abortion journey in India.
To maintain quality services in the pandemic setting, provider trainings remained a top-priority.
Listen to providers' experience of their COVID-19 safe abortion value clarification training in Burundi.
During COVID-19, digital interventions can be life-saving solutions. Click on the map to explore case-study innovations.
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1
24-hour free hotline for reliable contraception and abortion information
In Sudan, IPPF’s Member Association in Sudan (SFPA) established a 24 hour free call centre to increase access to healthcare, including post abortion care and contraceptive counselling. IPPF is working towards institutionalising this model for continuation beyond the pandemic.
2
Tele-detailing to prevent abortion product stock-outs.
Several PSI teams implemented “teledetailing” in place of in-person medical detailing, such as the PSI Benin team who used WhatsApp to host interactive group detailing sessions on topics such as legal abortion, post-abortion care, as well as medical abortion and contraceptive product information to reinforce correct use to providers and pharmacists.
3
Maintaining quality services.
To maintain quality services and prevent COVID19 transmission, PSI in Nepal utilized social media messaging apps for remote supportive supervision to ensure continued support and engagement of providers and pharmacists.
4
Virtual personalised follow-up care.
To prevent COVID-19 transmission, Pathfinder providers at facilities in Mozambique opted for virtual phone follow-up to confirm abortion process success for clients that utilised misoprostol and monitor danger signs.
Maintaining safe abortion access in a pandemic is not possible without a strong enabling environment.
Navigate the map to learn more about crucial policy, advocacy, and commodity security efforts.
COVID-19 is far from over. As enter the second year of the pandemic, women's access to safe abortion is still at-stake.
Some countries have failed to recognise sexual and reproductive health as essential health services. Funding for crucial family planning outreach programs has been suspended.
As the pandemic evolves, the organisations will continue to implement the COVID-19 interventions. If you would like to get involved in our work, or learn more about the adaptions, please click the link below.
Map Category Definitions:
Counselling and information provision: any adaptation that increases knowledge or awareness of safe abortion or PAC products and services, and promotes their correct usage.
Digital Health interventions: an adaptation that utilises mobile phones (including hotlines), tablets, social media platforms, or an application that provides information on safe abortion/PAC, or assists in service delivery or contributes to the safe abortion enabling environment.
PAC service delivery: an adaptation that focuses on the treatment of incomplete and/or complications of abortions.
Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) service delivery: an adaptation that can include elements of abortion care or PAC, but focuses on unsafe abortion prevention, promoting counseling, family planning and other reproductive health services.
Provider skills and Capacity Building: development of soft or hard skills related to safe abortion or PAC for programmatic teams and/or health service delivery personnel (e.g. providers, pharmacists, community health workers, etc.).
COVID-19 Prevention: any adaptation that directly mitigates the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) either through protecting clients and/or the health workforce from being infected.
Commodity Security: any adaptation aimed at preventing abortion-related product stock outs at service delivery points through medical detailing, product delivery and sales.
Quality Assurance: any adaptation that ensures adherence to quality standards for products and services (e.g. supportive supervisions), data collection, and/or routine data monitoring for safe abortion and PAC.
Advocacy and Policy: peer-to-peer engagement or government engagement for safe abortion and PAC access.
