Montevideo, August 15,2023. Immediate Post Obstetric Event Contraception (AIPEO for its acronym in Spanish) continues to advance in the region as a strategy to guarantee the rights of women and adolescents and to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
In the framework of the FLASOG 2023 Congress, facilitators from Bolivia, Honduras, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic, certified in AIPEO by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), met in a workshop to consolidate the knowledge acquired and design national strategic plans to be developed in their countries.
This group is part of the first sixty-two people who passed the training provided by the Latin American Centre for Perinatology - Women's and Reproductive Health (CLP/WR). After a process that included a virtual course, practice on simulators and a final supervised clinical practice, the facilitators began to lead processes to replicate the knowledge to other professionals and promote strategies to advance the practice of AIPEO in their countries.
In addition, they were in charge of a series of intra-congress trainings aimed at health personnel who assist pregnant women in labour and women in abortion situations. Four one-hour workshops were held, with participants from Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and the Dominican Republic.
In closing, the director of CLP/WR, Suzanne Serruya, expressed her happiness at the commitment that the facilitators have made and demonstrated. "You are great professionals and you have taken this issue to your regions. This is what it is all about, replicating the knowledge to reach more and more people," said the director, who also added: "Unintended pregnancies can have a huge impact on people's lives, and on women and adolescents in particular. This is especially true for the most vulnerable populations. Universal access to modern and effective contraceptive methods protects the rights of women and adolescents, prevents maternal morbidity and mortality, and allows for a satisfying sexual life. From CLP/WR, we will continue to support and accompany this process".
For his part, Rodolfo Gómez, regional advisor on Sexual and Reproductive Health, said he had no doubt that this initiative will have "a huge impact, especially in the reduction of second pregnancies in adolescence and in the reduction of unplanned pregnancies".
The facilitators were satisfied with the entire process and were enthusiastic about the challenge of replicating what they had learned in their respective countries.
CLP/WR is supporting the creation of simulation centres in the selected countries, in order to continue strengthening capacities at the local level.
These actions are part of the project "Improving the health of women and adolescent girls in vulnerable situations", supported by Global Affairs Canada.
