All abortions in last 6 months under govt lens as Gurgaon bottom of SRB table
Gurgaon: Haryana govt has directed authorities in four districts with the state's lowest sex-ratio at birth (SRB) – Gurgaon, Palwal, Karnal and Charkhi Dadri – to scrutinise all abortion cases in the past six months to check for any signs of illegal practices.
Haryana govt's latest data for Jan-June 2025 ranked Gurgaon at the bottom of the list, with SRB at 855. SRB in Charkhi Dadri was logged at 859, Palwal 874 and Karnal 906.
Sex-ratio at birth (SRB) is the count of girls born for every 1,000 boys.
Additional chief secretary (health and family welfare) Sudhir Rajpal on Tuesday directed these districts to review all medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) cases, and investigate further if there is any suspicion of pre-natal sex determination.
Civil surgeons have been asked to oversee the probe.
Rajpal sought reports on abortion cases from senior medical officers (SMOs) deployed at community health centres across Haryana.
Disciplinary action was initiated against the SMO of Uttawar in Palwal for dereliction of duty after the state task force identified several lapses in protocol at the facility.
Tuesday's orders are the latest in a series of measures announced amidst growing concern over declining SRB in Haryana.
In 2024, thirteen out of the state's 22 districts reported a drop in the number of girls born per 1,000 boys, bringing the state's overall SRB down to 910 — the lowest since 2016.
Govt has warned doctors that any involvement in pre-natal sex determination or illegal abortions will prompt authorities to cancel their medical licences. Similarly, health department officials have been tasked to identify quacks who pose as doctors and facilitate abortions.
Rajpal also directed the deputy commissioners of the four districts to crackdown on illegal abortion centres and halt any unauthorised sale of abortion kits. Chief medical officers and senior health officials will be held accountable if these districts don't improve their SRB, Rajpal said.
Govt has told community health workers – in an initiative called 'SAHELI' – to counsel pregnant women against any reluctance to have a girl child.
Community health staffers will also be held responsible if illegal abortions are carried out under their watch, the ACS said at the meeting on Tuesday.
Districts have been told to take police help for raids at suspected abortion centres. And the ACS on Tuesday issued show-cause notices to DSPs of the four districts for negligence in duty.
"Officials have been instructed to track repeat offenders and monitor their activities closely.
Additionally, all IVF centres in the state will undergo data revalidation and operational audits to detect and prevent illegal sex selection practices," said Rajpal.
According to govt data, recent measures have shown some improvement. Haryana's SRB improved to 943 in the first week of June, from 910 last year. The number of MTP kit wholesalers in Haryana has also dropped to 3, from 32, in the past six weeks.
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Indian Express
8 hours ago
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Haryana records decline in sale of pregnancy termination kits: officials
The sale of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) has declined sharply over the past three months from 40,763 in the first fortnight of March to just 470 kits between May 27 and June 9, according to Haryana Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Department data. Officials attribute the success to the ongoing crackdown by the State Task Force (STF) on illegal abortions in the state, battling a skewed sex ratio. Concerned over the state's declining sex ratio — 910 girls per 1,000 boys at birth in 2024, the lowest in eight years — authorities have intensified crackdown on the illegal sale of MTP kits and monitoring transaction of kits from authorised wholesalers. Haryana has 32 authorised wholesalers selling MTP kits to registered MTP centres. According to data, between March 1 and 15, Haryana recorded the sale of 40,763 MTP kits, with a staggering 39,000 kits sold in Sonipat district alone. The trend continued in the first fortnight of April, recording the sale of 25,721 kits, but drastically declined in the second fortnight, with only 1,492 kits sold. The sale of MTP kits dropped further to just 470 between May 27 and June 9. State Drug Controller Manmohan Taneja told The Indian Express, 'Wholesalers have been strictly instructed to sell MTP kits only to authorised MTP centres on the recommendation of a registered medical practitioner. We have mandated record-keeping for every tablet, and any violations will be dealt with strictly.' During an STF meeting, chaired by Haryana Additional Chief Secretary for Health Sudhir Rajpal on Tuesday, officials reported: 'Twenty-nine wholesalers recorded zero sale of MTP kits between June 3 and 9.' In April, Rajpal directed authorities to compile lists of wholesalers of MTP kits, along with records of their stocks, to ensure the sales are restricted only to registered MTP centres. He also ordered inspections of centres conducting MTP procedures on pregnant women who have two girl children, and warned centres found guilty of conducting female feticide would face closure. Rajpal stressed the urgent need for action on show-cause notices issued to MTP centres, urging immediate cancellation of licenses of gynaecologists found complicit in sex-selective abortions. Officials said terminating a pregnancy could be done surgically or with M TP kits, but self-administering these medications without medical supervision posed severe health risks. Taneja previously explained that an MTP kit consists of five tablets—one mifepristone and four misoprostol — both classified as Schedule-H drugs, meaning a valid prescription from an RMP is required for the purchase of a kit that comes with a warning: 'To be used only under the direct supervision of a gynaecologist.' Officials believe the impact of the ongoing initiatives will start delivering results by August-September, leading to an improvement in the sex ratio at birth. From June 3 to 9 this year, the child sex ratio at birth was recorded at 943 girls per 1,000 boys. During the STF meeting on May 20, the sex ratio for the preceding week was noted at 922, while on April 10, it stood at 911 girls per 1,000 boys. However, officials involved in the campaign emphasised these figures reflect temporary fluctuations and suggested waiting a few more months to assess a meaningful and sustained change in the sex ratio at birth.
Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
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MTP kit sales plummet in Haryana after crackdown
Following a state-wide crackdown on the sale of abortion pills--both legal and illegal--in the last four months, there has been a dramatic fall in the demand for medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) kits across Haryana, official data shows. From a peak of 40,763 MTP kits supplied by 32 wholesalers in the first fortnight of March, across 22 districts to retail medical shops and the certified MTP centres, the figures have nosedived to near-zero in at least 19 districts by early June, according to the official data compiled by the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). The data shows that 30,877 MTP kits were sold by the wholesalers in the second fortnight of March, and it came down to 25,721 between April 1 and April 15. Of the total 1,02,752 MTP kits sold between March 1 and June 9, as many as 87,770 MTP kits were sold by two Sonepat based wholesalers. While 10 districts have one each wholesaler, Ambala and Faridabad district have five each wholesalers of MTP Kits, followed by four in Panchkula and three each in Gurugram and Rohtak. This crackdown, spearheaded by additional chief secretary (health) Sudhir Rajpal, is a part of a broader strategy to prevent sex-selective abortions through coordinated monitoring. After Rajpal set up the State Task Force (STF) on February 6 and began cracking the whip to improve Haryana's sex ratio at birth (SRB) under the flagship Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign, authorities have also seized about 8,800 MTP kits being sold illegally, registered over 50 FIRs, including at least 18 against online sellers of the MTP kits. According to Haryana state drug controller Manmohan Taneja, the FDA's data analysis shows 'no recorded sales of MTP kits in several key periods after mid-May', with the exception of a few pockets such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Ambala and Yamunanagar, which still reported some activity, though far reduced. 'The FDA has directed the wholesalers not to sell MTP kits to medical shops even as they can directly supply the kits to registered MTP centres. Ever since the crackdown began, we have been tracking the sale of MTP kits from wholesale suppliers to MTP centers and the patients to whom it was given. Now every MTP kit sold is being tracked up to the patient who was prescribed the medicine by the MTP center,' said Taneja. Enforcement action As per the FDA data, between February 11 and June 9, a total of 27 medical shops were sealed across the state for selling MTP kits illegally. In addition, FIRs were registered against 29 individuals and establishments for violations under the MTP Act and related laws. These included medical stores, nursing homes, and unregistered practitioners operating without authorisation in districts such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Panipat, Palwal and Rohtak. The accused were booked under Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the MTP Act, along with provisions of the Essential Commodities Act and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, where applicable. The violations under the MTP Act are punishable with rigorous imprisonment ranging from two to seven years. These offences are cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable. FDA officials said the crackdown was aimed at curbing the illegal distribution and misuse of abortion pills, particularly in areas where unregulated sales were rampant. 'We have acted swiftly against violators and will continue our surveillance to ensure that MTP kits are sold only through authorised channels and with valid prescriptions,' an FDA officer said. The steep fall in sales figures is being viewed as a success by the state government in regulating access to abortion drugs, though public health experts have cautioned that legitimate access for women in need must not be hampered in the process.
Indian Express
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Haryana's crackdown on illegal abortions: Drastic drop in sale of pregnancy termination kits shows it's working
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