HYDERABAD: While the total number of Medically Terminated Pregnancies (MTPs) or planned medical abortions have reduced in the State from 2018 to 2019, the percentage of MTPs conducted at private hospitals have seen a drastic increase from 1.6 per cent to 20.8 per cent.
Government hospitals, on the other hand, have seen a dip in the number of MTPs from 98.4 per cent to 79.2 per cent, according to the latest data update by the Central government. Additionally, private hospitals have been reportedly alerted that each gynaecologist will soon be allowed to conduct only a certain number of MTPs per month.
Speaking to Express, Dr Sahithya, a consultant gynaecologist at a leading corporate hospital in the city, said, “One of the reasons for the rise in the number of MTPs could be that it is easier to get one in a private hospital in a comfortable setting that guarantees privacy. We do close to 15 MTPs in a month, and the data is very meticulously registered. We have to regularly send the data to the government.”
She further explained, “However, another issue that we have noticed is the spike in the number of botched abortions that come to the emergency rooms because they were either done by an incompetent professional, illegally at home, or by a quack.”
“Patients often think that popping the MTP pills will relieve them of the pregnancies, so they just buy the medication without consultation over-the-counter at pharmacies illegally,” said the doctor.
However, Dr Narahari, a senior professor at Niloufer Hospital, opined, “One of the reasons for the spike could be that private hospitals do not ask too many questions. They provide MTPs without too much paperwork, especially to minor or unmarried young women for hefty sums of money. Whereas in government hospitals, thorough counselling and health checks are done before the procedure takes place.”