Study: COVID-19 compromised access to 18.5 lakh abortions
By: Team Ifairer | Posted: 09-06-2020
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A recent study revealed that access to around 18.5 lakh abortions was compromised due to the restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, at all points of care, including public and private sector facilities and chemist outlets.
Conducted by Ipas Development Foundation (IDF), the study assessed the near-term impact of COVID-19 on abortion access in India in the first three months following the commencement of the lockdown (25 March 2020 to 24 June 2020). The model of the study strives to quantify the reduced access to abortions across three different points of care - public health facilities, private health facilities, and chemist outlets.
Vinoj Manning, CEO, Ipas Development Foundation said, "As COVID-19 turned into a pandemic, everyone's complete attention and effort went to the containment of the virus, which quite naturally pushed a lot of health conditions and their management, including safe abortion, to the backseat. A majority of public health facilities and their staff are now focused on COVID-19 treatments and closures of private health facilities have compromised the access to safe abortions, which is a time-sensitive procedure. The study was conducted to get a clearer picture of how COVID-19 restrictions have affected women seeking safe abortion services and what are the areas that will need focused efforts in the days to come."