Improvement of availability and quality of safe abortion services discussed in Bishkek

Bishkek, Nov. 21, 2018. /Kabar/. A technical meeting on “Improvement of availability and quality of safe abortion services” is being held in Bishkek.

Experts told that despite the existence of safe, simple and effective interventions based on the principles of evidence-based medicine, almost 22 million unsafe abortions are performed annually, which continues to contribute considerably to the global burden of maternal morbidity and mortality.

In Kyrgyzstan, in 2015, the maternal mortality rate was the highest among the Central Asian countries, 6.3 times higher than in Kazakhstan, 2.4 times higher than in Tajikistan, 1.8 times higher than in Turkmenistan, and 2.1 times higher than in Uzbekistan.

The purpose of the technical meeting is:

- to discuss a draft program to improvement of access to a safe abortion throughout the country by participants and experts;

- to discuss the current situation concerning import, barriers and restrictions in the use of high-quality and certified medications for medical abortion and raise awareness of suppliers on the importance of ensuring wide access to safe and high-quality medications.

The technical meeting is attended by 60 participants representing the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Medication Assistance Department, state medical institutions, the state mandatory health insurance fund, major medications supply companies, civil society and other concerned parties.