An official in the ministry of health attributed abortion as a key cause of 50 percent of women who die from reproductive health complications.

"Despite the fact that this vice is illegal by law, complications from spontaneous or induced abortion are the main cause of death among women.” Dr, Fidele Ngabo head of expanded program on immunization said while addressing participants in a three-day conference on reproductive health.

"The ministry of health does not have actual data of those who engage in abortion however, our findings come up once these complications are brought to the health centres after the terminations have been made.”

In a bid to curb its prevalence, he added that government is intensively sensitizing the population on family planning measures.
"We also continue to train our health workers on the best way of treating the complications that come with it,” he added.

As part of the technical team, Matthias Brucker, an EU Project Manager under the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) also noted that if reproductive health is improved, then it is easier for a healthy population to escape poverty.

"At the end of the training we will be able to understand the commitment of the organizations to draft proposals that will go to the European Commission for funding.”

"This call for proposals has 34 million Euros that will be allocated to 34 developing countries,” Brucker said.

The National Coordinator of Rwanda Women’s Network, Winnie Muhumuza emphasized that the meeting will help disseminate information on how to access the available resources for reproductive health development.

 "In most cases we as NGOs are unable to tap into the available EU funds simply because we lack information,” she noted.

Ends