Sirsa places abortion pill supplies under Civil Surgeon’s control

Health authorities in Sirsa district have revised the system for distributing Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) kits, bringing all supplies under the supervision of the Civil Surgeon’s store. The move follows instructions issued by the Director General of Health Services.

Under the new rules, private hospitals and nursing homes may obtain MTP kits only from the Civil Surgeon’s office. All registered MTP centres must now report their requirements, explain the intended use of the medicines and submit complete utilisation records when requesting fresh supplies. Officials said the objective is to curb illegal abortions and prevent misuse of the kits.

Chief Pharmacist Subhash Kumar said private facilities may collect medicines according to their requirements, but new stock would be issued only after they submit full records of previous usage. He said that stricter monitoring of the purchase, distribution and administration of the medicines is expected to help prevent unauthorised abortions.

Dr Saket Setia, the PC-PNDT nodal officer, said 35 private MTP centres in the district had been informed of the new procedures. He added that the department has been conducting decoy operations to enforce the ban on selling MTP kits in medical stores. “Two days ago, officials sent decoys to three shops to purchase an MTP kit, but no chemist agreed to sell one,” he said.

Health officials said that of the two medicines generally included in MTP kits, mifepristone and misoprostol, the district has been instructed to supply only mifepristone for now. The Civil Surgeon’s store has already received its stock from the warehouse. Experts explained that mifepristone is used primarily for pregnancy termination, whereas misoprostol also has applications in gastrointestinal care. Ensuring controlled availability of mifepristone is therefore the priority.

Dr Setia said the sale of MTP kits in medical stores is “fully banned”, and any shop found selling them illegally will face strict action. He added that routine decoy checks will continue.