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RCOG World Congress 2023

June 12 - 14, 2023 | London, UK

EP.1163

Implementation of the 2019 ministerial order on safe abortion provision in Rwanda.

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Poster Presenter

Charles NKURUNZIZA

Authors

Charles Nkurunziza, Magnifique Irakoze, CYIZA Francois Regis, John Muganda, Francois Xavier Hakizimana, Jerome Mfitumukiza, Evangeline Dushimeyesu, Suzanna Bright

Affiliations

Royal College Of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) Making Abortion Safe Programme -Rwanda, Rwanda Biomedical Center, Royal College Of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) Making Abortion Safe Programme

Part of Topic

Abortion Care

Implementation of the 2019 ministerial order on safe abortion provision in Rwanda: a situational analysis abstract

Background

Abortion is safe when carried out using a method recommended by WHO, appropriate to the pregnancy duration and by someone with the necessary skills

Unsafe abortion remains one of the top five causes of maternal mortality worldwide. Each year, around 220 women die for every 100000 unsafe abortions in developing regions due to barriers to accessing safe and respectful abortion services, including restrictive laws, health system and community factors1.

In Rwanda, a 2018 law amendment set exemptions for abortion provision and removed the requirement for a court order and second doctor permission which came into effect with Ministerial Order No.002/MoH/2019 on 8 April 2019.

Objective:

The aim of this study is to assess the successes and challenges of the implementation of this 2019 ministerial order and identify recommendations to improve access to safe abortion services

Sample:

5 public health facilities providing safe abortion services randomly selected from each of the 4 provinces and Kigali City, Rwanda, and 2 Faith-Based health facilities purposefully selected

Methodology:

Quantitative data collection will include:

•Structured questionnaire2, assessing health facility readiness to implement the order, including availability and appropriateness of human resources, infrastructure and supplies related to safe abortion provision.

•A structured questionnaire on healthcare professional (HCP) views on the strengths, challenges and recommendations for implementation of the order

•An adoption of the Ipas “Stigmatizing Attitudes, Beliefs and Actions scale (SABAs Scoring)2 to measure HCP attitudes to abortion provision.

Qualitative data will be collected through in-depth interviews with key informants to explore awareness, views, and challenges related to implementation of the order since its release in 2019.

Data analysis will include descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate analysis for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative data