Public hospital pregnancy termination services: are we meeting demand?

Objectives: To identify the sociodemographic characteristics of women seeki ng termination of pregnancy through a public hospital service and explore i ssues of accessibility to the service. Method: An audit of the Pregnancy Advisory Service (PAS) at the Royal Women 's Hospital in Melbourne from January to March 1996. Data were collected fr om 1,088 intake forms of women seeking an abortion. Results: The women were of low socioeconomic status, with 437 (40.2%) livin g on a government pension or benefit and 55.6% holding a Health Benefits Ca rd. However, only 33.8% were given an appointment for an abortion in the pu blic clinic, with most (63.7%) referred to private services. Conclusions: The demand for this public hospital abortion service exceeds i ts capacity and economically disadvantaged women are required to seek abort ion in private services. Implications: There is a role for regional health authorities to ensure ade quate distribution of public hospital pregnancy termination services.