SCORES of Bulawayo teenage girls are turning to a South Africa-based online clinic to access abortion tablets, which are delivered through cross-border buses.
BY LUYANDUHLOBO MAKWATI
The tablets, known as Cytotec, cost $120 per satchet.The Women’s Faith Clinic which is run online has centres in Southern African countries and operates through social networks Facebook and WhatsApp.
Week-long investigations by Southern Eye established that the tablets were being sent to Zimbabwe through cross-border buses owned by a local company (name supplied).
Sources said the consignments were normally sent through a man identified as Mark while payments were made via a local mobile money transfer facility.
Women’s Faith Clinic‘s point person in Harare identified as Barbra operates from Roadport international bus station. This publication is reliably informed that once payment has been confirmed, it takes a day for the tablets to be delivered .
In a series of communications with this publication, Mark said “levels of privacy” were high when dealing with clients. The tablets were normally stashed in small envelopes that were given to unsuspecting bus drivers.
Scores of minors were observed waiting for buses from South Africa and Harare and collecting small envelopes from each bus that arrived. Subsequent investigations revealed the packages contained pills. Some of the girls said they learnt of Women’s Faith Clinic from their schoolmates.
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A medical doctor from Bulawayo who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the tablets could be harmful and might not be legal in terms of local health regulations.
“People must guard against the use of such drugs because they might not be allowed in the country and secondly they can be given fake drugs, which might end up causing more complications in them,” he said.
“It is against the Health Act for people to buy drugs from individuals without the assistance of a professional.”
The satchet carries dosage instructions indicating that the patient must take up to three tablets depending on the size of her pregnancy. Abortion is a criminal offence in Zimbabwe and normally carries a custodial sentence.
However, it can be conducted under special circumstances as specified by the law. According to the Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1977, a pregnancy can be terminated in cases such as rape or incest. Disability too can be justified in calling for abortion.
The other drug, which has illegally entered the local market is Misoprostol and is also sourced from South Africa.
It is a prescription drug used to treat a patient after miscarriage, induce labour, prevent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced gastric ulcers, and reduce post-patan haemorrhage maternal mortality and to induce abortion, among other uses.
