REGINA – Saskatchewan became the latest province in Canada to provide universal coverage for the abortion pill, and two years later, the province finally pays the doctors who provide it.
On October 1, the province began offering a billing code for doctors offering Mifegymiso, which terminates early pregnancy up to nine weeks.
Previously, only doctors who performed surgical abortions were directly compensated, but those who prescribed the pill had to bill it for advice or consultation, discouraging them from doing work that could take hours.
“Now that it can be billed properly and doctors can be compensated for the amount of time it takes, we hope that the number of doctors across the province who are willing to offer that service to patients in need will increase. ”Said Dr. Carla Holinaty, a Saskatoon-based family physician.
She said the goal is to make things easier for women who want to end their pregnancies, especially those living in rural or remote areas.
Holinaty said patients sometimes have to travel a long distance to an urban center to get a prescription for the pill, often taking a day or two off work and incurring travel, childcare and lodging expenses.
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“It makes it almost impossible for some women to be able to access pregnancy termination if that is what they want.”
There are still other challenges for women who need to access sexual and reproductive health services in Saskatchewan.
“Even before the pandemic, information on how to obtain services was often shrouded in secrecy and shame in the province and there was already a critical lack of care providers … capable of providing abortions,” said Heather Hale, executive director of Saskatoon Sexual Health clinic.
Surgical abortions are only available in Saskatoon and Regina, so there is a geographic barrier for women living elsewhere, compounded by a lack of transportation options, Hale said.
“That means that if you have money in your bank account, surely you have access to abortion. But if you don’t, then good luck, ”said Frédérique Chabot, director of health promotion for Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.
And access to surgical abortion remains inconsistent. In Regina, surgical abortions are performed for up to 18 weeks and six days, and no doctor’s referral is required. In Saskatoon, women can have an abortion for up to 12 weeks, but they need a doctor’s referral.
“That extra step of having to get a referral helps people struggle to meet that schedule,” Hale said.
He said that women who do not meet the deadlines must travel outside the province and bear the expenses.
“Sexual health is stigmatized, tremendously stigmatized, and that often means it is de-prioritized in health systems and by governments and funding agencies,” Chabot said.
Sexual and reproductive health has been further underestimated during the pandemic, he said.
As Saskatchewan addresses record COVID-19 hospitalizations, it has reduced services at its hospital-run Women’s Health Center in Regina and sexual health clinics.
A spokesperson for the Saskatchewan Health Authority did not reveal what services are being cut, but said surgical abortions remain a priority.
“When there is a public health crisis like COVID-19, sexual and reproductive health needs don’t go away, they often become more urgent,” said Chabot.
“When we remove more resources and prioritize one crisis over another, we find communities that suddenly don’t have educational programs or follow-ups, they don’t have specialists who can help people make sexual health plans, (places to) get tested (infections of sexual transmission), or support for people who test positive for STIs. “
Hales said sexual health is in crisis in Saskatchewan.
“That is analyzing sexually transmitted infections. HIV rates are very high. We have a syphilis outbreak that is happening and we also have the highest provincial rate of teenage pregnancy and the highest provincial rates of sexual violence, ”he said.
“All of those pieces together really create challenges and impacts on people’s health.”
This Canadian Press report was first published on October 10, 2021.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca