At the beginning of December 2020, a training for primary care providers and gynaecologists working in public institutions, youth-friendly health centers, and reproductive health centers was organised by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Social Protection of Moldova in partnership with the Reproductive Health Training Center (RHTC). On December 4, the training was carried out for Romanian-speaking participants and on December 9, for Russian-speaking participants.
The course was facilitated by RHTC team members involved in the revision of the National Safe Abortion Standards in Moldova, which were approved by the MoHLSP via Order No. 766 on 18 August 2020. It has four main sections:
- the steps taken to align Moldovan abortion standards with the most recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, national trends in abortion incidence and quality in Moldova, and general guidelines for providing abortion care throughout the course of pregnancy.
- Discussion of the updated Standards, focusing on pre-abortion examination, consultation, and informed consent.
- Surgical abortion provision, including the official ban of dilatation and curettage (D&C).
- New medical abortion guidelines, including permission to offer medical abortion (MA) pills up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, the possibility of providing MA via telemedicine, and remote follow-up 7-14 days after administration of mifepristone.
- A detailed overview of the importance of contraception following abortion, routine provision guidelines for pre- and post-abortion contraceptive counselling, and the various methods of contraception women can choose from.
Overall, 109 medical providers participated in the trainings, thus becoming familiarised with modifications and additions included in the new National Safe Abortion Standards. In addition, 1,500 copies of the Standards have been distributed to primary care providers and gynaecologists across the country.
The revision of the National Safe Abortion Standards in Moldova and printing and distribution of them is part of the project Bringing the WHO recommendations on safe abortion closer to women, in countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, by supporting the development of national clinical guidelines and protocols on unwanted pregnancy.
SOURCE: Reproductive Health Training Center, in CEE Bulletin on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, 2021;1(198) ; VISUAL: RHTC infographic re telemedicine for access to abortion pills,