The Lagos State government’s Ministry of Health has developed a fresh set of policies on safe termination of pregnancy.
Labelled “Lagos State Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications,” the policy document sets out guidelines for safe termination of pregnancy within the confines of the law of the state.
Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Olusegun Ogboye presented and launched the policy document during a stakeholders’ meeting held on Tuesday in Lagos.
The secretary explained the policy was drafted following the need to provide evidence-based data and information for health workers in public and private sectors who have the requisite skills and training necessary to carry out safe terminations in order to reduce preventable deaths.
He added that while the law permitted the therapeutic termination of pregnancy, the absence of clear and specific guidelines has hampered the effective implementation at appropriate levels of care, consequently resulting in preventable deaths.
Dr Ogboye further explained that the journey towards developing the guidelines began in 2018 with the Safe Engage project spearheaded by the ministry and hosted by the Society for Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Nigeria (SOGON), with support from the Population Reference Bureau (PBR).
He added that the advocacy messages on the Safe Engage project focused on two immediate results, including ensuring that safe abortion services were available within legal indications in Lagos localizing the Violence Against Person Prohibition Act, supporting women to terminate pregnancies gotten through rape or incest.
“To guide the implementation, one of the follow-up recommendations of the project was the adaptation of the National Standards and Guidelines for Safe Termination of Pregnancy within Legal Indications within the Lagos State context,” the secretary explained.
