Abortion care – an update for primary care providers

Join NWMPHN and Western Health in a collaborative session that will provide an overview of abortion care, including services available in Melbourne’s west. We will focus on various patient presentations, current barriers in seeking care and discuss new guidelines and updates.

While abortion access across Australia has improved over the past decade, there are still limited services with ongoing barriers, especially for patients from vulnerable or disadvantaged backgrounds, or from rural and remote regions. Many patients with an unplanned pregnancy first present to their GP, who is well positioned to provide or refer for options counselling and ongoing care as required.

This session will begin with an overview of abortion care – including statistics, legislation and types of abortions available. 

We will aim to reduce stigma around patients seeking abortion care and help GPs and primary care clinicians to feel more comfortable discussing abortion, know about local services, and how to refer patients. There will be an opportunity for questions and discussion at the end. 

Speakers:

Dr Aekta Neel is an obstetrician-gynaecologist in Melbourne. She has worked at Western Health for over 10 years and has been the Medical Lead of its abortion service since its inception in November 2023. Aekta also works in the Abortion & Contraception Service (ACS) at The Royal Women's Hospital and in private gynaecology in Melbourne's west. 

Carolyn Mogharbel is the manager of 1800 My Options – Victoria’s phoneline for contraception, abortion and sexual health – at Women’s Health Victoria. She has over 15 years’ experience in health promotion and service delivery, with a focus on equity of access to sexual and reproductive health services for marginalised and underserved communities. 

Learning outcomes:

1. Explain the latest developments in abortion care
2. Describe the barriers patients face when seeking abortion, and develop the tools to assist patients in overcoming them
3. Describe the different local services available for patients seeking abortions