Haryana Cracks Down On Illegal Abortions, MTP Licence Of 2 Doctors Suspended For Violations

The weekly meeting of the State Task Force (STF) for Improving Sex Ratio in Haryana was held under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Sh. Sudhir Rajpal here today. The meeting focused on intensifying efforts to curb illegal abortions and further improve the state’s sex ratio under the ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ campaign.

During the meeting, the Additional Chief Secretary directed officials to intensify enforcement against illegal abortion practices and take strict action against doctors found guilty of such violations, including cancellation of their licences.The meeting was informed that in the past week (May 13 to May 19, 2025), 50 inspections had been conducted across the state over the illegal sale of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) kits, 25 MTP centres closed and 3 FIRs were registered. 

The MTP licence of a doctor in Kurukshetra and another one in Assandh, Karnal has been suspended for malpractices and violation of guidelines.  In addition, 2 shops had been sealed for illegal practices and 921 MTP kits were seized for violation of guidelines. Legal action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 shall be launched against the offenders. 

The number of wholesalers selling MTP kits has been reduced from 32 to 6 within one month in Haryana. The sale trend of MTP kits has seen a significant decline in 13 districts of the state. The Additional Chief Secretary emphasized targeting BAMS doctors and unqualified practitioners (quacks) involved in illegal abortions. He also urged district-level officers to ensure rigorous field monitoring and data backtracking.

The meeting was informed that in the preceding week, Haryana registered sex ratio of 922, a significant increase from the previous week, highlighting the impact of continuous efforts. To ensure universal birth registration, camps are being organized in villages and slum areas with high migrant populations. 

To provide personalized support and monitoring, all pregnant women with one or more female children have been assigned an ASHA or Anganwadi Worker (AWW) as a SAHELI (companion) to counsel them and monitor their pregnancies. A record of these women and their SAHELIs is being maintained by Civil Surgeons and their work is being monitored at the headquarter level as well. 

Any suspicious abortion in such cases will lead to a backtracking investigation and accountability for the SAHELI concerned.The meeting was further informed that the Women and Child Development Department has started ‘Lado Panchayat’, a women-led community initiative in focused on empowering women and girls through advocacy, education, and community governance in villages in cooperation with ASHA and ANM workers. 

Public engagement efforts have been intensified through mobile awareness vans and targeted social media campaigns, promoting gender equality and the value of the girl child.Secretary, Health Department and Mission Director, National Health Mission, Sh. Rippudaman Singh Dhillon, and senior officers of various departments were present in the meeting.