The management of the Diez de Octubre Gynecobstetric University Hospital, known as Hijas de Galicia, in Havana, warned about the arrival of four women in a state of shock to the medical center's guard unit in the last 10 days, as a result of illegally performed abortions.
Some people illicitly use misoprostol, a prostaglandin intended for pharmacological abortion and whose use is indicated exclusively within the hospital setting, denounced in Facebook Dr. Ernesto Cordoví, director of the hospital.
Prostaglandins, such as misoprostol, are drugs used to induce uterine contractions and cause the expulsion of the contents of the uterus, resulting in Interruption of pregnancy.
In a context of shortage of supplies and specialists, where some families resort to bribery to end the pregnancy, the doctor questioned the people who resort to the illegal practice of abortion, asking: "Why are they buying this illegally if there are open city abortion services? Why do some women allow charging for services and do not report it?".
Cordoví reiterated that this illegal practice puts women's lives at risk, while highlighting that accessing this service is a right in Cuba.
The doctor described as unscrupulous those who promote illicit abortions outside of hospitals, arguing that they "profit from the health of the people."
Likewise, he insisted that women "go to the pregnancy termination clinics at hospitals" and, if there is any problem, "knock on the director's door."
CyberCuba spoke with a Cuban doctor, a specialist in intensive care, who explained anonymously that the use of prostaglandins, such as misoprostol, is one of the safest and most widely used practices to terminate a pregnancy, "but always under the supervision and assistance of the specialist".
However, he also clarified that like any drug, it has risks, and in this case he mentioned "hypovolemic shock", which he said is a "life-threatening complication that generally occurs due to incomplete abortion, the retention in the uterus of ovular remains and the severe bleeding, which if not corrected immediately endangers the lives of these patients.
The panorama in Cuba is marked by the worsening of the economic crisis, which translates into a shortage of medicines and supplies in the pharmacy network. Currently, birth control pills and condoms are sold more in the informal market.
In this context, it is not easy to access the pregnancy termination service, also marked by the absence of supplies and specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
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