Haryana Proposes Cap on Doctors at MTP Centres
Gurugram: The Haryana state health department is considering a proposal to restrict doctors from being registered with more than two Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) facilities across the state.
The move comes as officials attempt to address staffing gaps revealed during a review on Tuesday, when six districts were reprimanded for performing worse than last year in terms of sex ratio at birth (SRB). The assessment pointed to systemic issues in how MTP units operate, with many relying on the names of doctors who are seldom present, making audits difficult and obscuring accountability, reports The Times of India.
Authorities said the proposed limit on registrations aims to curb proxy practice, boost transparency during inspections and encourage centres to employ dedicated, qualified personnel instead of depending on signatures of doctors associated with several establishments. Currently, many doctors are enlisted in multiple facilities, and verifying the doctors, actually responsible for conducting the procedures is becoming difficult. Moreover, verifying if centres maintain the legal requirements at all times also becomes a tedious task.
According to The Daily, additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Rajpal has instructed administrators and health teams to work together to raise the state’s sex ratio to 920 this year. Data from January 1 to November 17 shows a drop in SRB in Sirsa, Sonipat, Yamunanagar, Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri and Nuh compared with the same period last year — with Sirsa down 16 points, Sonipat 10, Yamunanagar 11, Dadri 14, Jhajjar 4 and Nuh 1. Senior officials noted that these districts have long been under strict watch for PNDT enforcement, making the latest fall especially concerning.
Rajpal, addressing deputy commissioners and police chiefs of the six districts through video conference, urged tighter coordination with civil surgeons and demanded active measures to improve the figures. He ordered reverse tracking of unlawful abortion cases and continuous surveillance. He also directed the suspension of the medical officer at PHC Jattawali in Sirsa and the SMO of Halalpur in Sonipat for negligence linked to declining district sex ratios. Officials said that responsibility at the facility level has become “non-negotiable” because of the persistent gap between enforcement and actual results. The department will conduct another review next month to determine whether the flagged districts improve and whether the reforms for MTP centres can proceed, reports The Daily.
The crackdown follows Haryana’s decline in SRB, with the state’s 2024 average falling to 910 — its lowest since 2016. The current SRB is 913, compared to 904 during the same period last year. Rajpal further directed that all infants in urban slums and low-income areas be registered in coordination with municipal authorities. He urged teams to intensify efforts to improve the overall sex ratio.
The meeting also decided that call detail records of individuals involved in illegal MTP or sex determination will now be submitted in court as evidence, and an MIS portal will be created to track all PNDT-related legal proceedings.
