DKT WomanCare Global distributes the Ipas MVA aspirator in 80+ countries worldwide. DKT WomanCare Global is responding swiftly to the global Covid-19 surge and published this info sheet on preserving abortion care in this pandemic where women’s healthcare services, in particular abortion care, risk being deprioritized.

In an effort to “de-medicalise” abortion care, transitioning surgical abortion services from operating theaters to outpatient settings should be welcomed in these trying times. The Ipas MVA aspirator is a safe, economical and effective way to maintain abortion care for women, providing several benefits when applied in outpatient services:

• Less time: simpler and more predictable “in and out” outpatient services are quicker than admission to an operating theater. This is a general benefit but particularly salient for reducing risk of contracting Covid-19.
• Greater flexibility: outpatient services are more flexible than operating theater protocols; this elevates the woman’s experience and gives the provider more latitude to treat the patient in front of her/him.
• Easier to schedule: outpatient procedures rely less on specialized equipment and face less disruption from emergency services.
• Less costly: the absence of general anesthesia, an anesthesiologist, operating theater staff, and a recovery bed mean fewer expenses for the health system and lower fees for the woman.
• Task shifting: qualified clinicians, midwives and nurses can all provide abortion care in outpatient settings, thereby freeing up specialists for acute cases that require advanced skills or knowledge.

For women who cannot or prefer not to have their abortion with pills, outpatient abortion care should be available, and the Ipas MVA provides a simple way to make this happen.

The COVID-19 pandemic should not prevent women from having access to safe abortion care and we invite everyone to do its best for guaranteeing women to beneficiate from it if needed, even in such hard times.

For questions, please reach out to DKT WomanCare Global representatives listed in the info sheet.