Research and analysis

"The pharmacist threw out the carton cover and insert, they kept strip only."

"They sell [Brand x] but it was out of stock that day. There were 2 boxes of [Brand y] and one contained only 1 tablet out of 10."

“The product [misoprostol] is registered in their system, but there are none in stock.”

“The medicines were sold by a street vendor of disinfectants and rat poison in a market in the capital city. The dealer asked for the approximate time of pregnancy to determine the number of tablets that are effective. There was no manufacturing data and no expiry date on the packaging, which was damaged.”

“The misoprostol that I bought was expired.”

“Providers in some facilities told us that if they want to use misoprostol only, they take that from the combipack and dispose of the mifepristone.”

“The mifepristone is widely wasted because they use the misoprostol more commonly.”

“The pharmacist indicated never seeing such products because gynecologists are usually old fashioned and do not approve of abortion or give prescriptions. It is possible to order misoprostol, but there were no stocks.”

“Despite asking for a signed prescription from the doctor, the pharmacy staff are always afraid to sell the medicine; they think the buyer may be a policeman and there is fear of getting into trouble."

“Without a prescription you can still get the drug [misoprostol], but you pay an extra fee to the health worker.”

“In the absence of a prescription, clients often negotiate with providers, particularly those in the maternity ward, to obtain misoprostol for a tip.”