Introducing quality medical abortion, enhancing women’s choices, and increasing the incidence of safe abortion in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
"Korean Family Planning and Maternal & Child Health Association conducted medical abortion services for the first time on a pilot basis in our country …By doing so, KFP & MCHA is playing a pioneering role [in] the implementation of the National Strategy on Reproductive Health [by increasing] clients’ rights to informed choice in abortion methods." (KFP & MCHA Annual Report 2007)
Why is this work important?
In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), surgical abortion by a doctor is the only safe and legal method of induced abortion available.
However, 16 women out of every 100 suffer complications after undergoing the procedure, particularly women that have repeated or late abortions.
Despite liberal abortion laws in the DPRK, medical professionals have no clear understanding, skills or knowledge of abortion methods other than surgical abortion.
They also lack up-to-date technology.
This leaves women both limited in choice and left vulnerable to complications resulting from the only abortion method available.
Why is this project innovative?
By introducing medical abortion for the first time in DPRK, the project is leading the way in increasing women’s choice of safer abortion methods by:
• Demonstrating to the government that medical abortions are safe and offering acceptable alternatives to surgical abortions which carry risks.
• Introducing misoprostol and mifepristone for the first time in the country with approval from the government.
• Advocating to the government for the approval of medical abortion services and their eventual integration in the national sexual and reproductive health strategy.
• Engaging stakeholders at all levels to ensure that medical abortion is recognized from the grassroots to the government level.
• Improving the quality of abortion services in the project areas by training medical personnel and providing essential medical equipment and supplies.
• Increasing the number of medical abortions to one third of all abortions.
How is the strategy working?
We have government support throughout. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of the DPRK and KFP & MCHA signed at the outset highlights the success of the project’s advocacy strategy.
The MoU provides legal legitimacy to the project and ensures government support throughout.
KFP & MCHA has also successfully initiated relationships with stakeholders such as community leaders, media professionals, and medical personnel in both government and ri (or grassroots) hospitals.
An important component of the project was the training of trainers, which provided the necessary knowledge and skills to 60 service providers, who can now train others in the techniques of safe medical abortion.
Medical equipment and supplies provided by IPPF, include scanners and abortion drugs (misoprostol and mifepristone), ensure optimum conditions for the delivery of high quality abortion services.
Most importantly the project started providing the first medical abortions in the DPRK in December 2007 and solidified its position as a pioneering organisation in the sexual and reproductive health sector.
What next?
Throughout 2008, KFP & MCHA is continuing to provide medical abortions to women at four static clinics.
They provide referrals for women accessing sexual and reproductive health services through our Member Association’s three mobile clinics.
The project has been received very favourably by government and clients alike, and they expect to provide safe medical abortions for hundreds of women by the end of the project.
Want to find out more?
Contact:
innovation@ippf.org
The IPPF East and South East Asia and Oceania Region
Korean Family Planning and Maternal & Child Health Association.
An IPPF Innovation Fund project implemented by the Korean Family Planning and Maternal & Child Health Association.