GURGAON: The health department has placed 824 second-trimester abortions under investigation, marking the state’s most stringent action against suspected female foeticide so far. These cases – identified from a total of 1,153 abortions performed beyond 12 weeks of pregnancy across 22 districts in the past three months – shared a disturbing pattern. All involved couples who have one or more daughters.The investigation has already led to 19 FIRs after 690 cases were put through reverse tracking – a process where officials trace back abortion cases to verify their legality and detect potential sex-selective terminations. Ambala, officials said, topped the list of cases with 77 under scrutiny, with 13 more FIRs in the pipeline.The decision to scrutinise the cases was taken at a meeting of the special task force for improving sex ratio in Chandigarh under Manish Bansal, the director-general of health services. The scrutiny process was discussed in detail. It included immediate reverse tracking within 24 hours of reported abortions, coordination between chief medical officers and gynaecologists at OPD centres, review of documentation and medical justification for procedures, investigation of the registration status of facilities carrying out abortions, examining if healthcare workers are involved and so on.
“Show-cause notices have already been issued to multiple private hospitals and clinics suspected of malpractice. Health workers, including medical officers, ASHA workers, ANMs, and Sahelis linked to the pregnancies, are also under scrutiny,” said Virender Yadav, the director of National Health Mission.Kuldeep Singh, a senior health official, emphasised on strict enforcement, saying confirmed violations would result in severe penalties, including licence revocation for doctors. He called for MTP (medical termination of pregnancy) data of all districts over the past three months. “If there is any resistance to enforcement, seek police help,” he told officials.The crackdown comes against the backdrop of Haryana’s persistently skewed sex ratio. While the state reported a marginal improvement from 902 to 904 girls per 1,000 boys between Jan and July 2023, last year’s overall ratio of 910 was the lowest since 2016.District-wise investigations also revealed varying levels of enforcement. Karnal has been particularly proactive, with 69 reverse-tracked cases resulting in 6 FIRs and 4 more in process. The district has also issued notices to 5 private clinics. Gurgaon, meanwhile, has tracked 35 cases, with one FIR pending.Some districts have faced criticism for inadequate enforcement. Faridabad, Fatehabad, Jhajjar, Panchkula, and Yamunanagar have either not initiated reverse tracking or conducted it unsatisfactorily. In Hisar, 45 Saheli workers received notices, while Jhajjar flagged 50 field workers for follow-up action.The probe has also uncovered cross-border concerns, with Narnaul reporting abortions in UP. In Kurukshetra, Amandeep Hospital faces scrutiny over MTP licence issues, while Rohtak has issued 14 notices to private facilities.
