Reverse tracking of a medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) case has led health authorities in Karnal to unearth an alleged illegal abortion racket in Uttar Pradesh.
An FIR has been registered against three persons, including a doctor and two Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs). Those booked are Dr Arpit, a resident of Shamli, and Iqra and Fatima, residents of Kairana in UP.
The investigation started after Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) informed the office of Civil Surgeon Dr Poonam Chaudhary about a critically ill woman, Preeti, a resident of Karnal.
Doctors found that she had suffered a ruptured uterus and an injury to the ureter following an alleged illegal abortion performed in UP. During emergency surgery, doctors found that parts of the foetus had perforated the uterus and entered the abdominal cavity, making her condition life-threatening.
Acting swiftly, Civil Surgeon Dr Chaudhary constituted a three-member inquiry committee on June 30, led by Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr Sheenu Chaudhary along with Dr Manish Kumar and Dr Neeru. The team visited the medical college, recorded the statements of the patient’s brother-in-law, Rinku, and reconstructed the sequence of events.
As per the investigation, the family initially visited a religious place in UP on June 25. While returning, they met with an accident, resulting in injuries to Preeti. She was referred to a hospital in Shamli for an ultrasound.
After an ultrasound examination, Dr Arpit told her brother-in-law Rinku that the baby in Preeti’s womb was not in good condition and that immediate termination of pregnancy was necessary to save the mother’s life. She was subsequently referred to a healthcare centre in Kairana, owned by Dr Arpit, said Dr Sheenu. The illegal abortion was performed at this healthcare facility, she added.
Based on the family’s statements, the inquiry team, accompanied by police, conducted a surprise inspection at the Kairana healthcare centre. Rinku identified two women present there as those who had allegedly assisted in carrying out the abortion along with the doctor. During the inspection, the team recovered abortion instruments, medicines used for MTP procedures, and government-supplied medicines meant to be distributed free of cost at public health institutions, said Dr Sheenu.
The team informed the health authorities of Shamli and reached Dev Hospital. “We got an FIR registered in Karnal and handed over everything found during the raid to the Shamli health authorities for further action,” said Dr Poonam Chaudhary, Civil Surgeon.
She appealed to people to inform them about illegal abortions as well as sex-determination tests. “We are tracking each and every pregnancy. This case is a result of tracking such pregnancies,” said Dr Chaudhary.
