Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) is today holding a training of Health professionals on the legal defense of the Harm Reduction  Model at Eureka Place in Kampala.

The training is aimed at increasing  health worker commitment to utilize the harm  reduction model  in providing the needed and relevant legal and safe abortion services. Using the Harm Reduction model can greatly reduce harm before and after to save the lives of the women that are lost to complications as a result of clandestine unsafe abortions.

”Young women have approached us on various occasions seeking services to  terminate unwanted pregnancies.  We offer them counseling services,  but when they go, they later return with abortion complications. Some buy drugs others use instruments to terminate pregnancies. Then they return to us for post abortion complication treatment. Government should allow abortion to specific circumstances like rape, defilement, incest etc because these are the cases we see every day. We believe if this is done, it will reduce the deaths of women that occur as they try to terminate these pregnancies ” a  midwife remarked.

Uganda has one of the highest rates of unsafe abortion in Eastern Africa. According to the recent report released by the Guttmacher Institute, the estimated rate of 54 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age  is far higher  than the average  of 39 abortions per 1,000 women from East African region. It is also important to note that Uganda still implements very archaic colonial legislations that restrict safe abortions and end up endangering lives of women. Training health service providers in the Harm reduction model therefore allows women access accurate information on access to safe and legal abortion

The training has attracted a number of  service providers including obstetricians and midwives who have shared their experiences and the dilemma they face in providing abortion services including counseling and post-abortion care. They have remarked that the Harm Reduction Model and its legal defense are critical and timely for the work they do since they take oaths to save lives at all costs.

MEETING WITH ROTARY CLUB PRESIDENT ON SAVE A MOTHER CAMPAIGN.

 “Of late, there is increased media awareness on maternal health rights. It was thus easy for us to identify the Center for Health, Human rights and Development as the leading institution of maternal health advocacy in Uganda. We have seen you institute cases of maternal deaths and reaching out to the most vulnerable women in this country. When one checks online, your work is visible. When Rotary Club of Wandegeya Kampala called on stakeholders to the launch of the “save a mother campaign” you did not hesitate, you quickly responded and showed commitment by turning up, we visibly saw you, we saw your banners, tear drops and CEHURD was all over. This was a determination that we could work together. It’s not surprising therefore that when the board of the club, your name appeared on the list of those we wanted to have on the committee for the campaign. We are grateful that even when we sent an email, your response was prompt.” Daniel Lubogo, President Rotary Club of Wandegeya, Kampala during a meeting held with CEHURD on 25/1/18.