Mzimba Council decries abortion complications

Mzimba district post-abortion care coordinator Gracious Masewo says the district hospital registered 434 post-abortion cases last year.

He said this on Tuesday during M’Mbelwa District Council executive committee meeting.

Masewo said the figure does not include other cases in other health facilities, including private hospitals.

“We have other figures from other health centres such as Mzambazi, Euthini, Embangweni, Katete and Jenda. So if we are taking the whole Mzimba District, abortion cases could be more than 1 000,” he said.

Masewo said most cases involve women aged between 20 and 30 and those aged between 14 and 19 while cases among women aged between 31 and 40 are on the lower side.

He said abortion is high in the district because many men go to work in South Africa, leaving their wives to fend for themselves. 

“When left alone, most women indulge in sexual affairs which result in pregnancies, leading to unsafe abortion,” said Masewo.

Since abortion is illegal in Malawi, he said data his office is collecting shows that there are many cases of induced abortions.

He cited a case of a girl who has been referred to Mzuzu Central Hospital because of serious complications.

“Her uterus has been damaged and she will not be able to have children,” said Masewo.

Family Planning Association of Malawi programmes coordinator Gerald Maulidi said they have introduced a post-abortion care advocacy project in traditional authorities M’Mbelwa and Chindi in the district to tackle some of the challenges.

M’Mbelwa District Council director of planning and development Walter Chikuni said it was high time they sensitised communities to the dangers of unsafe abortion.

Janet Banda from Paramount Chief M’Mbelwa welcomed the project, saying it will save women’s lives.