Background
Post-abortion complication is one of the main reasons women are admitted to the gynaecology ward at the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar. Abortion can be either spontaneous or self-induced, but self-induced abortions are illegal in Zanzibar. This means they may be performed by unqualified staff or in unhygienic environments, putting the women at an increased risk of health complications. Comprehensive post-abortion care is a strategy aimed at reducing maternal mortality, which is a common problem in many developing countries. This strategy was introduced in Zanzibar in 1999. Still, most women visiting the gynaecology ward were not offered family planning services, despite it being an important part of the comprehensive post-abortion care.

About the project
This project was created to re-install post abortion family planning counseling and increase accessibility of these services to women of reproductive age attending the gynecology ward at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital. The project team held meetings with staff members from the gynaecology ward in order to discuss ways to improve the family planning services and the implementation of the project. Two nurses then participated in a six-day training to boost their knowledge and skills on providing high-quality family planning counseling.

Results
122 women received family planning counselling during the project period, which is 47% of women who visited the gynaecology ward for post-abortion services. Before the intervention only 20% of the women were counselled.

Year: 2006