Jhapa District Sees Decline in Safe Abortions Among Under-20s

Jhapa. There are 27 listed government health institutions in the district that provide safe abortion services. These include municipal hospitals, basic hospitals, health posts, and health service centers.

Private health institutions also provide this service. According to Bishwanath Shrestha, information officer at the District Health Office, 10,041 people have received safe abortion services from listed institutions in the past three years. Among them, 606 were under 20 years of age.

The office's data shows that 3,819 people received safe abortion services in the fiscal year 2080/81. Of these, 292 were teenage girls under 20 years old. This number has been decreasing in recent years. In fiscal year 2081/82, the total number of people receiving safe abortion services was 3,637, and 183 were teenage girls under 20 years old.

By the end of Chaitra in fiscal year 2082/83, the total number of service recipients had reached 2,585, and the number of teenage girls under 20 was 131, Shrestha said. Analysis of the data from the past three years shows that women prefer medication abortion over surgical methods for safe abortions.

From fiscal year 2080/81 to the current fiscal year 2082/83, 6,016 people have undergone safe abortions using medication. Out of the total 10,041 people who underwent safe abortions, only 4,025 chose the surgical method.

There are no deaths due to unsafe abortions in government records. However, those who undergo unsafe abortions from unlisted and private health institutions are at risk. Official data for this is not available.

It is said that some women opt for abortion services from unlisted institutions and unqualified health workers due to privacy concerns, as going to government health facilities requires registration and personal details.