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The Ministry of Health is working diligently on reducing the rate of abortions, according to subject Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy.
According to a Guyana Information Agency (GINA) press release, Ramsammy was speaking at a closing ceremony following the training of medical practitioners in sonogram techniques at the Family Planning Association of Guyana in Charlotte Street, on Tuesday.
He explained, "what we are seeking is not to promote more abortions but to reduce them. This programme of medical termination is in fact to show women that abortion should not and does not have to be used as a form of contraception."
Ramsammy said the programme was geared more towards reproductive health. Recently, it was announced that medical terminations would be extended to the public sector and that the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) will provide them, the release said. "The GPHC is one of the few hospitals with formal family planning sessions and now we are going to extend that to provide actual termination."
In 1995, the release stated, the Ministry of Health through the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, empowered women with the choice of termination with advice, as well as with free choice of contraceptions. This was also the case before 1995, but then only women who could afford it exercised this right.
Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy poses with the doctors. From left (seated) are: Hazel Halley-Burnett; trainer Moriah Ritson; Ramsammy; trainer Dr Bonney McDowell; and Cynthia Massay, secretary of the Family Planning Association of Guyana. Those trained were: Drs Gladstone Mitchell, Mahendra Chand, Karen Boyle, Debra Dye-Torrington, Victoria King, Util Richmond and Charles Validum; Parbattie Sugrim, Olive Wason and Shanomay Christophe. (Aubrey Crawford photo)
The Family Planning Association of Guyana (FPAG) realised that all women would not benefit from the Act and, with financial assistance from the Family Planning International Assistance, the association was established. Its focus was on low-income persons, but it was open to offering gynaecological services to the general public.
FPAG is a non-governmental organization providing a direct service that has impacted on family planning and it offers counselling in medical termination of pregnancies. And now this service is being extended even further, the release added. The association's mission is to promote responsible and safe motherhood by providing education, pre- and post counselling in abortions and comprehensive medical programmes in reproductive health and family planning.