Haryana Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Sh. Sudhir Rajpal today directed officials of the Health Department to conduct inspections of all Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and Ultrasound Centers across the state. He further instructed that the registration of centers not complying with the prescribed guidelines be cancelled.
Sh. Sudhir Rajpal, who also holds the charge of the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department, chaired an important meeting with officers from both departments here today. He stressed the need for enhanced cooperation between the Health and Family Welfare Department and the Women and Child Development Department to further improve the state’s sex ratio at birth.
He called for collaborative efforts between Anganwadi Workers of the WCD Department and ASHA Workers from the Health Department to ensure timely pregnancy registration and achieve the desired outcomes. Sh. Sudhir Rajpal instructed State Drug Controller to closely monitor the sale of MTP pills. It must not be sold without a prescription of an authorized doctor.
He said that a strict legal action should be taken against anyone found violating this regulation. He also directed to ensure that teams of Civil Surgeons should regularly analyze the data from MTP Centers. If any mismatch or discrepancies are found in the reports, strict action should be taken against those centers.
In addition, he instructed that MTP centers be required to submit trimester-wise reports detailing the causes of abortions to the Civil Surgeons. Emphasizing the importance of coordinated efforts to combat female foeticide and ensure the protection and welfare of every girl child, Sh. Sudhir Rajpal instructed the Health and WCD Departments to make coordinated efforts through ASHA and Anganwadi workers to identify families with female children and launch targeted awareness campaigns to fight female foeticide.
In the meeting, it was informed that the unique ANR number, available on the RCH portal, is mandatory for accessing any ante-natal services in Haryana. The Health Department is exploring the possibility of self-registration for pregnant women on the RCH portal. This will enable authorities to track their progress throughout pregnancy and take necessary measures to prevent female foeticide.
Director General Health Services Dr. Manish Bansal, Director Women and Child Development Department Monika Malik, Civil Surgeon Panchkula Dr. Mukta, and other officers were also present in the meeting.