Gynuity in Mexico
Medical Abortion
Since late 2007 Gynuity has been working closely with the Secretariat of Health of Mexico City (SSDF), where abortion was legalized in April 2007, to equip affiliated clinical providers with the evidence base they need to provide safe and effective abortion services. Gynuity supported and guided the heads of the legal pregnancy termination program in SSDF hospitals throughout the Federal District in their definition and adoption of an evidence-based medical abortion protocol that has been incorporated in the program procedures manual. Gynuity is also helping to introduce mifepristone-misoprostol services, the gold standard for medical abortion. We will remain involved in capacity-building activities as the SSDF implements a planned program expansion to the primary care level.
Misoprostol for Postabortion Care
At the request of the SSDF, Gynuity also trained multidisciplinary clinical and support staff of secondary and tertiary level hospitals to integrate misoprostol as a first line treatment for incomplete abortion in emergency room settings. The aim of the introduction is to reduce reliance on surgical procedures, use of general anesthesia and hospitalization of women for this common women’s health concern. Gynuity will provide technical support the SSDF to monitor and evaluate this service.
Gynuity has also been working since 2010 to expand the use of misoprostol for treatment of incomplete abortion in three Mexican states. The states and specific hospitals were chosen in collaboration with the Mexican Ministry of Health and state-level Secretariats; local partners work in hospitals with a high PAC caseload and where D&C;with hospitalization is the standard of care. The project involves training of clinical care providers on the protocol, documenting women treated with the new protocol, providing technical assistance on service delivery issues, and disseminating materials and resources to project hospitals, Secretariats and other NGOs and women’s health organizations in each state.