Home » SWEDISH UNIVERSITIES ENGAGED IN SOUTH ASIA RESEARCH 2015 » Karolinska Institutet Medical University Stockholm » Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 2015

Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, 2015

Postal address: Avdelningen för Obstetrik och Gynekologi, Institutionen för kvinnors och barns hälsa, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
Visiting address: Karolinska University Hospital, Solna
Web page: http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=23935&l=en

Contact person: Kristina Gemzell Danielsson, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Phone: +46 (8) 517 795 39. Personal web page.

Complicated delivery and cervical physiology, gynaecologic endocrinology and metabolism as well as reproductive health incl. legal abortion and family planning are all examples of internationally important research areas at the division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Furthermore, a number of different research projects are conducted by physicians and midwives at the clinical level. 

Research connected to South Asia

In the spring of 2012, the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS) announced a special call for proposals for arranging workshops/hearings to explore future research co-operation specifically with India, and ProfessorKristina Gemzell Danielsson and Dr. Marie Klingberg-Allvin (at the Dept. of Public Health Sciences) were granted SEK 400 000 for a workshop on “Scaling up Access to Safe Medical Abortion in Rural Area of India”. See all FAS India related workshop grants from 2012. 

Workshop abstract: The workshop, tentatively planned for November 2013, aims to enhance exchange of evidence based technical and program knowledge related to safe abortion between Indian and Swedish researchers and institutions. The participants identified in Sweden and India has specific scientific knowledge of safe abortion care as well as experiences from the process of implementation of evidence based practice in both high and low income settings. Researchers and representatives from Swedish Institutions: Karolinska Institutet, Uppsala University and Indian institutions: Action for Research and Training for Health (ARTH), Ipas, UNFPA, WHO and policy makers will be invited to take part in a three day long workshop in India. Scientific evidence in relation to (i) Comprehensive abortion care focusing on medical abortion (ii) Simplified medical abortion and (iii) task sharing within abortion care will be presented. Group discussions will be held to identify strategies for the implementation of medical abortion in late Autumn 2013 in Delhi, India. A report will be outlined to disseminated the result of the workshop and provide input for revision of national guidelines for safe abortion services in India.
The United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG5) number 5 is to decrease maternal mortality ratio by 75% from 1990 to 2015. India caters for the largest number of births per year in the world and is alone responsible for 20% of maternal deaths worldwide. To achieve the MDG 5, the government of India has identified increasing access to safe abortion services as a strategy to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. Medical abortion has been developed into a safe and effective method for induced abortion globally. Medical abortion was first developed by a research group at Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden. Following previous studies, women now have the option to a simplified medical abortion procedure which has had a major impact in Sweden. The implementation of medical abortion has been slow in India. The introduction of a simplified method of medical abortion carried out on an outpatient basis, requiring fewer medical resources than standard procedure would increase women’s autonomy and be more cost effective.

Dr. Klingberg-Allvin is working 50 % at Karolinska Institutet, and 50 % at Högskolan Dalarna. Her current focus in research is maternal mortality and morbidity focusing on unsafe abortion in African and Asian contexts. The main aim of the projects I am involved in is to contribute to the development of evidence-based strategies for abortion care, post abortion care and contraceptive counselling in low-income contexts. Personal web page.

The planning for the workshop has been delayed. Increased debate in India on sex selective abortion during the last two years, has stigmatized abortions and especially medical abortions. The organisers have therefore decided to postpone the workshop till the fall 2014.