STF constituted, notices issued to incharges of 12 health centres

The Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) to Government of Haryana, Health Department, Sudhir Rajpal, has constituted a Special Task Force (STF) to strictly implement the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act.

The members include Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM); Director General Health Services (DGHS), Haryana; Director General Women and Child Development; Director General AYUSH; Director PC&PNDT, Health Department; State Drug Controller; and the Police Department. Dr Virender Yadav, Director, NHM, is the convener of the STF, which conducts reviews and field visits every Tuesday.

Yadav said, “The STF is strictly implementing the Act in the state. Registrations of 300 out of 1,500 Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Centres in Haryana have been cancelled or voluntarily withdrawn. Notices were issued to 23 centres this week. FIRs have also been filed against 17 online MTP kit sellers in the past two months. Additionally, 23 PNDT raids have been conducted in the past three months, and these centres have been closed."

The Nodal Officer, PNDT, Hisar district, had been suspended and show-cause notices (for low sex ratio) had been issued to Senior Medical Officer (SMO) in-charges of 12 Community Health Centres (CHCs). These include CHC Nahar in Rewari district, Tosham in Bhiwani, Danoda in Jind, Kunjpura in Karnal, Tauru in Nuh, Tigaon in Faridabad, Bhattu Kalan in Fatehabad, Ateli in Mahendragarh, Ukalana in Hisar, and Ladwa in Kurukshetra. They would be chargesheeted if their reply was not satisfactory.

The SMO in-charges of three CHCs with the lowest sex ratio would be chargesheeted. PNDT Nodal Officers of Charkhi Dadri, Rewari, Rohtak, Gurugram and Faridabad districts — with the lowest sex ratio in the state — had been changed with immediate effect.

Yadav said, “The Additional Chief Secretary, Health, has directed that all centres performing MTP of pregnant women with two live girl children should be inspected and monitored regularly. If found indulging in female foeticide, the centre should be closed and decision on the show-cause notices should be taken immediately. The licences of gynaecologists involved in foeticide should also be cancelled. The State Drug Controller has been directed to procure the list of MTP kit whole sellers/stockists in the state, and the sale of these kits should be restricted to registered MTP Centres only."

Haryana Tribune