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Unsafe abortion cause of 1/4 maternal deaths in Nepal

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-04 12:59

KATHMANDU -- Unsafe abortion causes of one fourth of maternal deaths in Nepal, local newspaper The Himalayan Times on Wednesday.

Quoting a report released by an NGO on Tuesday, the newspaper said that women's health in Nepal was at risk, affecting their overall development due to early, too frequent and late pregnancies.

The report "Advocating Accountability: maternal health and young people's sexual and reproductive health and rights in South Asia" stated that women bear medical risks and social responsibilities for unwanted and unplanned pregnancies in south Asia.

Despite introduction of legal provision for safe abortion in 2003, unsafe abortion was still high and it was the cause of up to 20 to 27 percent of maternal deaths in Nepal, according to the report. Nearly a quarter of women give birth before the age of 18 and over 50 percent women give birth by the age of 20.

The report says women are left on their own to manage their fertility and reproductive health and well being, with minimal education and limited access to reproductive health services in Nepal. "This is a distressing situation given that pregnancies among young women carry greater complications due to their reproductive system not being fully developed," said the report.

Dr. Sudha Sharma, health secretary, claimed that Nepali government had made good progress in reducing under-5 mortality rate. She said the progress could be a hint that Nepal would be able to meet the Millennium Development Goals on health.

She said that Nepali government was promoting public-private partnership for safe motherhood program. "The environment in South Asian countries is cooperative for resolving the problems that arise in this region," she added. "Topographical difficulties are the common problems for not having adequate facilities during labor-pains in this region and the government is trying to address these issues," she said.

The government has introduced a pilot project on community based packages for new-born in eight districts of Nepal and is planning to expand the project in other districts if the project succeed in these districts, according to Sharma.