Availability of postabortion care services in Ethiopia: Estimates from a 2020 national sample of public facilities

Objectives

Unsafe abortion is a leading cause of global maternal mortality and morbidity. This study sought to estimate availability of essential postabortion care (PAC) services among publicly managed health facilities in Ethiopia.

Study design

Data from public hospitals and health centers in Ethiopia were collected in 2020. Among facilities offering labor and delivery, we assessed the proportion that: (1) offered PAC, (2) were equipped for each PAC signal function, and (3) were equipped for all PAC signal functions falling within their scope of care by facility type.

Analysis

Our primary outcome was PAC service provision status. Descriptive statistics summarized the proportion of hospitals and health centers, respectively, categorized as each PAC status and with necessary equipment for individual signal functions. Per Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) guidelines, hospitals are expected to provide comprehensive PAC, while health centers are expected to provide basic PAC.

Results

Altogether, 69.1% (n = 94) of hospitals were equipped to provide comprehensive PAC, and 65.2% (n = 131) of health centers were equipped for basic PAC. Least available signal functions included obstetric surgery among hospitals (83.8%; n = 114) and uterine evacuation among health centers (84.6%; n = 170).

Conclusion

Meaningful progress has been made toward achieving the Ethiopian FMOH's goal of universal PAC service availability at hospitals and health centers by 2020. Despite this, sizable gaps remain and may endanger maternal health in Ethiopia, underscoring a need for continued prioritization of PAC services.

Implications

Ethiopia's commitment to PAC has fostered a service landscape that is stronger than many other low-resource settings; however, notable shortcomings are present. Further research is needed to understand the potential role of clinical training and supply-side interventions.