In Zambia, according to the 1972 Termination of Pregnancy Act, an abortion is permitted if certified by three doctors. However, access to safe abortion in Zambia is hindered by the limited number of health facilities and a shortage of medical staff which makes getting permission from three physicians nearly impossible. Despite the introduction of the Termination of Pregnancy Act, much remains to be done to expand abortion access across all geographic regions of Zambia. Because access is limited many women seek illegal abortion services, resulting in high morbidity and mortality rates related to unsafe abortions. In 2015, Ibis partnered with MSI Reproductive Choices in Zambia to establish whether the use of telemedicine technology can potentially overcome structural and social barriers to accessing safe abortion care in Zambia.
Research methodology: In 2017, MSI Reproductive Choices in Zambia implemented a mixed method study among women of reproductive age who sought abortions at 9 weeks gestation or less at one of their blue star clinics within four provinces. The project used purposive sampling to identify women for the study and to identify a sub-sample of women for in-depth interviews. Additional in-depth interviews were conducted with providers, clinic staff, and clinic owners about their satisfaction with the model of service delivery and their perceptions of the feasibility of scaling up the model.
Project progress: The project was implemented as a pilot, findings are forthcoming. Planning for the broader implementation of telemedicine is underway.