Ipas MVA instruments mean safe care for women in Malaysia for over 30 years

Distribution of the Ipas MVA Plus® in Malaysia will ensure that women receive comprehensive, woman-centered abortion care.

Photo courtesy of Dominic Sansosi, Panos Pictures.

In June, the Malaysian Ob-Gyn Society held its annual Congress in Penang, Malaysia.  Fen Zhang, Ipas Product Promotion and Distribution Associate, attended the conference to promote the new Ipas MVA Plus® with the local product distributor. As Ipas has few contacts in the region, the conference provided a good opportunity to connect with women's health-care providers there. Little did Zhang know that Ipas's reputation preceded her.

“Ipas! Ipas is back!” Two men with huge grins eagerly approached the Ipas booth where Zhang stood. Surprised, Zhang asked the two doctors how they knew about Ipas. They replied that they knew Ipas from the introduction of the first manual vacuum aspirator (MVA) more than three decades ago.

The two doctors had been among the nearly 30 obstetrics and gynecology fellows in Malaysia who were trained by Professor I. S. Puvan, who pioneered postabortion care training in the 1970s using Ipas MVA instruments.

“Apparently Ipas has had a long history and good reputation for its MVA products in Malaysia,” said Zhang, “although we have only recently initiated direct marketing efforts in the country.”

Professor Puvan's work was cut short when he was killed in an accident in 1977. With his tragic death, the project to train doctors in postabortion care fell by the wayside.

However, Ipas's distributor in Malaysia, Fisher, was recently contacted by Dr. Choong Sim-Poey, a reproductive-health physician in Penang who was one of the fellows originally trained by Professor Puvan. Now in private practice with two partners, Dr. Choong performs approximately 4,000 procedures annually with Ipas MVA instruments, ensuring women receive safe, woman-centered care. After hearing about the new Ipas MVA Plus®, the partners ordered five sight unseen, together with other instruments, based solely on their respect for Ipas.

Clearly there is great demand for Ipas's technology in Malaysia. As a result of the warm reception at the conference, Ipas's distributor has decided to hire a sales agent solely to market the Ipas MVA Plus®.

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258