PNG urged to improve reproductive health services

Posted 29 January 2013, 19:43 AEST

Health experts are urging PNG's government to offer better reproductive health services to young women, after a survey found unsafe abortion practices in many areas.

Health experts are urging Papua New Guinea's government to offer better reproductive health services to young women, after a recent survey found that many are resorting to unsafe abortion practices.

The survey, carried out by the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, aimed to find out what methods of abortion women were using.

Head of Maternal and Child Health with the Institute of Medical Research, Lisa Vallely, said results showed that many women were attempting abortion very late in their pregnancies.

"A lot of the women are trying to end the pregnancy at a later stage which can result in more bleeding and infection for them," Ms Vallely told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat.

She said many women were also presenting to the hospital very late if problems occurred during abortions.

"A lot of them are at home for two, three weeks with bleeding, with abdominal pain before they are actually presenting to the hospital for treatment and as a consequence their overall health is very poor."

Ms Vallely said this could lead to infertility in later life.  Abortion is illegal in PNG, except in cases where a woman's physical or mental health is at risk.

"What we really need to strive for is for better access especially for these younger girls...to reproductive health services and specifically being able to access family planning," she said.

"We need to make sure that they're aware that family planning methods are available and they can access these services even though they're not married.

"Ultimately if we can try and prevent them becoming pregnant in the first place then we can prevent some of these unwanted pregnancies from occurring."

Source. Radio Australia