NEW DELHI: South Central Asia sub-region which includes India, has the highest number of unsafe abortions in any sub-region, which contributes to about eight per cent of all maternal deaths, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda said this in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.
"Based on WHO estimates, South Central Asia sub-region (which includes India) has the highest number of unsafe abortions in any sub-region. India given the size of the population may be the largest contributor. Unsafe abortions contribute to about eight per cent of all maternal deaths in the country," he said.
The Guttmacher Institute in New York, the International Institute for Population Sciences (Mumbai) and the Population Council (Delhi) are conducting a research project to generate high-quality data on incidents of abortion and intended pregnancy in India, he said.
The report will generate 2015 estimates of both national and for six individual states on the levels of induced abortion and unintended pregnancy, the health consequences of unsafe abortion, the provision of abortion services, post-abortion care, the rate of treatment for abortion-related morbidity in health facilities, and breakdown of reproductive health indicators by key population subgroups.