Strict vigilance on MTPs have brought unreported abortions to the fore.
The city witnessed 84% rise in the number of abortions last year, reveals Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) data.
While 9,041 abortions were registered in 2011-12, 16,690 such cases were reported from various public and private hospitals 2012-13.
However, before you link this jump in figures to female foeticide, here is what family welfare bureau head of the PMC Anjali Sabne says, “Most of these abortions have been carried out in the first trimester when it is not possible to detect the sex of the foetus.”
During the first trimester i.e. upto 12 weeks, 15,784 cases were reported while the second trimester i.e. upto 20 weeks account for only 906 cases.
“The steep increase in the number of cases is due to the increased vigilance and monitoring on behalf of civic officials. Besides, better reporting of data by hospitals brought on by online reporting and computerised records compulsion has also been the cause.
Last year, special drives were held to ensure that the Pre conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) law is followed stringently. Most Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) centres started reporting abortions accurately,” she added.
In 2011-2012, the state government started a widespread crackdown on doctors and clinics for not adhering to the PCPNDT rules following the large number of female foeticide cases reported in Beed and its multi-district network. During the same period, check on abortion clinics started.
Around the same time, chemists also stopped the sale of MTP kits and abortions pills while even registered MTP centres refused to conduct second trimester abortions.
“In such an atmosphere, it is expected that the number of abortions will drop, but it has increased instead. If true, the abortion clinics are reporting all cases. This means so far they were hiding the real data,” said a civic official.
“After the government crackdown last year, it became difficult for women to obtain MTP kits and drugs. Usually these first trimester abortions would happen in the confines of one’s home but now women had no option but to opt for surgical abortion at hospitals. In some cases, women went to quacks but even that stopped after the crackdown hence the data shows increase in the first trimester pregnancies,” said Dr Vaijayanti Patwardhan.
Activists welcomed the increase in reporting but hoped for similar progress with the online checking of F forms as well. “All clinics are supposed to fill a Form F before ultrasound which has all details of pregnant women. The state had announced that an online system would be introduced to track each F form which can go a long way in stopping sex selective tests. We feel that just like how mere computerisation of records brought nearly double the number of under reported MTP’s on record, implementing the online system in every corner of this state will go a long way in nabbing those conducting sex-selective tests,” said Kiran Moghe of the Janwadi Mahila Sanghatna.
Possible reasons
Fearing action, chemists stopped sale of MTP kits and abortions pills.
Registered MTP centres refused to conduct second trimester abortions.
Unreported abortions being reported due to computerisation, drive.
In numbers
2011-12: 9,041 abortions
2012-13: 16,690 abortions
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