Institutional and professional priorities regarding Misoprostol in Benin and Burkina Faso - Ouattara, Fatoumata; Seydou, Drabo; Baxerres, Carine; Guillaume, Agnès
The efficacy of Misoprostol has been proved for the reduction of maternal mortality. Several questions related to the dynamic, the role of actors for the use of this medication remain. This communication describes and analyses the institutional priorities and the professional practices related to Misoprostol in Benin and Burkina Faso. Our socio-anthropological field work was conducted at Cotonou and Ouagadougou. To understand the institutional priorities, we have carried out semi--‐guided interviews with various actors and determine the health care providers practices. These data show that the official recognition of Misoprostol is a process involving various actors and relations that reflects the sensitivity of publicly raising abortion issues. The institutional priorities are governed by the pressure of the international NGOs on the policy makers, hesitating between the need of providing care for women and the social risks from the sensitivity on abortion. The perceptions of health care professionals regarding Misoprostol reflect a fear of social risks when it is used for abortion and a fear of health risks when it is used to induce labour. Misoprostol raise questions between policy makers and health care providers regarding abortion and maternal mortality.
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Keywords: conferencePaper