Machinga District Hospital post-abortion care coordinator Jacqueline M’balaka says the district continues to register many cases of unsafe abortion among adolescent and young women.

She said this on Saturday in the district during an advocacy meeting on access to safe abortion for adolescent girls and young women organised by Malawi SRHR Alliance under a Power to Youth (PtY) Programme it is implementing in Machinga.

M’balaka said: “Unsafe abortion is rampant in the district. We have 23 health facilities and out of these, only seven provide post-abortion care services.

“With this, our work is  challenging.”

She said from January to December 2022, the district recorded 1 194 cases of unsafe abortion.

“This is a huge number and a worrisome development because unsafe abortions can result in severe bleeding. We need more support, both technical and skills to help us embark on activities that provide excellent care to our clients,” she said.

Senior Chief Kapoloma acknowledged the problem of unsafe abortions in his area and said they formulated by-laws to punish parents and guardians who tolerate child marriages.

M’balaka: The numbers are high

Malawi SRHR Alliance programme advocacy coordinator Yewo Gondwe said they wanted to discuss how they could address unsafe abortion and teenage pregnancies in the district.

She said: “It was an engagement with political leaders, officials from sectors of health, education, youth as well as traditional leaders.

“We also wanted to raise awareness on unsafe abortion, the Pregnancy Termination Bill.”

With funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Sonke Gender Justice, Malawi SRHR Alliance, a consortium of five non-governmental organisations, is implementing a five-year programme in traditional authorities Mizinga, Kapoloma and Sale in the district.

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