Malawi: Unsafe abortion - the testimony of health workers

Bonus Makanani, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University of Malawi's College of Medicine, says QECH commonly sees women who have sought abortions from health care workers - clinical officers, nurses, medical assistants, occasionally medical doctors. "A lot of them think they've got the theory, but I am not certain that they have the practical experience to undertake such procedures," Makanani says. Such workers may begin the process and then send the woman to QECH once complications arise. Other women seek to induce an abortion by ingesting detergent powder, consuming drugs or herbal concoctions, or inserting sharp objects vaginally. Such methods can rupture the uterus or bowel and lead to infection, bleeding and in some cases infertility or death.

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