Crackdown on illegal MTP centres: 379 shut, 16 suspended in state

In a move to strengthen efforts toward improving the state’s sex ratio, a meeting of the State Task Force (STF) was held under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Rajpal. The meeting focused on reviewing the current status and identifying targeted interventions in areas with skewed sex ratios.

Kuldeep Singh, Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Haryana, informed the task force that village-wise data on sex ratio from 2019 to March 2025 has been compiled. “Special attention will be given to villages showing persistently low sex ratios,” he said.

Virender Yadav, convener of the STF, said the state’s sex ratio, as per the Civil Registration System (CRS) portal data up to April 22, 2025, stands at 911 females per 1,000 males. He disclosed a significant disciplinary action, stating, “Licence of one BAMS doctor in Sonepat district has been cancelled by the Council of Indian Medicine, Haryana, for violating provisions of the PC & PNDT Act and the MTP Act.”

In a broader crackdown on non-compliant facilities, Yadav said, “Out of the 1,500 MTP centres in Haryana, 379 have been closed, and the registration of 16 centres suspended in the past one month. There is a declining trend in the sale of MTP kits in Haryana.”

A show-cause notice has also been issued to the Drug Control Officer (DCO) of Sonepat for submitting an unverified or incomplete report and for failing to ensure that MTP kits are sold only through registered MTP centres.

Highlighting further regulatory measures, Yadav said, “Pre-implantation Genetic Testing (PGT) must be conducted only with approval from the competent authority. The outcome of each In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) procedure is to be reported to the respective Civil Surgeon every month.”

To improve ground-level oversight, districts have now been assigned to officers from the State Drug Controller’s Office, who will conduct field visits to monitor and prevent the unauthorised or illegal sale of MTP kits.

All Civil Surgeons have been directed to closely monitor MTP kit sales in their respective districts. In addition, special Beti Bachao Beti Padhao camps will be organised on April 25 in villages with a sex ratio below 700, jointly managed by the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of the local Community Health Centre (CHC) and the Programme Officer (PO) from the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department.

Haryana Tribune