All health centres cater for women

THE EDITOR: Recent articles in the Press have raised the issue of lack of health care for women in our country particularly for women in rural areas. The facts are that in all health centres across the country women have available to them:-

•Family Planning Services where they can access counselling or female and other reproductive matters.
•Contraception, including oral contraception and condoms, are provided free in all health centres. In addition intrauterine devices are inserted if the women desire it.
•However it must be emphasised here that intrauterine devices like some oral contraceptions may function by preventing implantation of a fertilised egg and therefore causing an abortion.
•Ante natal care is provided in all health centres All care in health centres is free.
Most health centres have special clinics for women’s medical matters. In very distant country areas where the clinic is opened once or twice a week all areas of health care are lumped together but ante natal and family planning are still available and they are given the same importance as chronic diseases and children’s care. Problems that may require special care are handled by referral to gynecologists in all secondary health care institutions where again services are free. The claim therefore that women do not have adequate health care available to them is totally unfounded. To infer then than since women are not being properly cared for, we should consider legalising abortion is totally ridiculous.

JOHN MACKAY
Federation Park