Abortion claims denied

THE Department of Health says it has no knowledge of doctors from local state hospitals referring patients to illegal abortion practitioners.

Two months ago the ZO spoke to three men, all foreigners, who advertise and perform backstreet abortions in the city.

They claimed their services were in huge demand by pregnant women who wanted an abortion late in their pregnancies.

One admitted to administering abortion pills and performing ‘womb cleaning’ on women who were as far as eight months pregnant.

Shockingly, one of the selfproclaimed ‘doctors’ said many of his patients who passed the threemonth mark and could not get an abortion at hospital, were referred to him by doctors who worked at Ngwelezana Hospital.

At the time, the Department of Health did not respond to the ZO regarding this claim, but did so this week.

‘We are not aware of any doctors referring patients for illegal termination of pregnancies. We would like to urge anyone with such information to report it, so that action can be taken,’ said department spokesperson Agiza Hlongwane.

Hlongwane said illegal abortions continue to be one of the social ills that confront society, and is of primary concern to the department.

‘Over time, the department, along with the SAPS and the local government sector, has worked hard to create awareness about the dangers of this scourge, as well as to offer safer alternatives.

‘Campaigns have taken place in all districts across the province, including King Cetshwayo.’

Generally, awareness campaigns encourage abstinence from sex, particularly among the youth, and proper family planning.

Women who fall pregnant, but do not wish to terminate, are given the option of putting their babies up for adoption through the Department of Social Development. However, the adoption rate in the King Cetshwayo district is low while child abandonment in the region continues to grow. Research conducted by the Medical Research Council in 2018 painted a grim picture, statistics showing that about 3 500 children are abandoned annually.

For every child found alive, two are found dead.

About 65% of abandoned children are newborns and 90% are under one year old.

The research also showed that children born in South Africa are at the highest risk of being killed during the first six days of their lives.