GANGTOK, (IPR): A meeting of the State Advisory
Committee under Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques
(PC&PNDT) Act, 1994 was chaired by Dr. Anusha Lama, Mission director,
National Health Mission (NHM), Sikkim, at the conference hall of Health
Secretariat today.
The meeting had the presence of Dr.
Anita Bhutia, director, Reproductive Child Health (RCH), and Dr Manisha Rai,
joint director, RCH, along with committee members from radiology, OBG and
paediatrics departments of New STNM Hospital, ASHI NGO, Information &
Public Relations department and legal officer.
At the outset, Dr. Manisha Rai provided
an elaborate overview of the amendments to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy
(MTP) Act, 1971 and highlighted the intricate connections between the MTP Act
and the PC&PNDT Act.
While both acts deal with reproductive
health issues, and address different aspects. The MTP Act primarily focuses on
regulating and providing safe abortion services, ensuring women's reproductive
rights and health. On the other hand, the PC&PNDT Act aims to prevent
sex-selective abortions and regulate the use of prenatal diagnostic techniques
to combat gender-based discrimination, she stated.
She added that conflation between the
two acts can occur, especially concerning the regulation of abortion services
and prenatal diagnostic procedures. This overlap can lead to challenges in
implementation, enforcement, and understanding among healthcare providers,
policymakers, and the publication, she added.
Therefore, clarifying the distinctions
and ensuring effective coordination between the two acts is crucial for
addressing reproductive health issues comprehensively while preventing
gender-based discrimination and promoting women’s health and rights, she
informed.
She further spoke comprehensively about
the salient features of the MTP amendment that include provisions for expanding
access to safe abortion services, enhancing confidentiality for women seeking
abortions, and empowering registered medical practitioners to perform abortions
up to 24 weeks of gestation under specified conditions among others.
In her address, Dr Anusha Lama
emphasised the importance of raising awareness about adolescent health issues,
including reproductive health and access to safe abortion services. To prevent
over-the-top sale of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) kits and Medical
Management of Abortion (MMA) drugs, brainstorming sessions could be conducted
to develop strategies such as stricter regulations on the sale of these
products, implementing educational campaigns to discourage misuse, and
enhancing monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
Furthermore, she highlighted the need to
change attitudes among people as well as healthcare professionals regarding
abortion and adolescent reproductive health. This could involve training
programmes, workshops, and advocacy efforts aimed at reducing stigma, promoting
empathy, and ensuring that healthcare providers understand and respect the
reproductive rights of adolescents and women.
In future initiatives, the Mission
Director proposed the establishment of a confidential helpline for women
seeking information and support related to abortion services. This helpline
could provide counselling, referrals to safe healthcare providers, and
information about reproductive rights and options.
Additionally, exploring social media
options for awareness, an Information, Education, and Communication (IEC)
campaign could be beneficial to disseminate accurate information, address myths
and misconceptions, and promote accessible and available reproductive health
services could reach a wide audience, particularly adolescents and young
adults, she added.
She stated that these strategies would
aim to strengthen awareness, accessibility, and availability of adolescent
reproductive health services while addressing challenges such as the
inappropriate sale of abortion-related drugs and changing attitudes among
healthcare providers and the public.
