The outcomes of an intervention aimed at improving the quality of postabortion care provided by private medical practitioners in 8 states in northern Nigeria are reported. A total of 458 private medical doctors and 839 nurses and midwives were trained to offer high-quality postabortion care, postabortion family planning, and integrated sexually transmitted infection/HIV care. Results showed that among the 17009 women treated over 10 years, there was not a single case of maternal death. In a detailed analysis of 2559 women treated during a 15-month period after the intervention was established, only 33 women experienced mild complications, while none suffered major complications of abortion care. At the same time, there was a reduction in treatment cost and a doubling of the contraceptive uptake by the women. Building the capacity of private medical providers can reduce maternal morbidity and mortality associated with induced abortion in northern Nigeria.
Copyright © 2012 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.