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Gujarat FDCA detects unauthorised sale, stock of MTP kits and abortion pills worth Rs. 8 lakhs
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Shardul Nautiyal, Mumbai
July 28 , 2017
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Following its ongoing crackdown on persons selling abortion drugs and
sex-determination kits in the past two years, Gujarat Food and Drug
Control Administration (FDCA) recently raided an unauthorised premise in
Godhra and seized Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) kits and pills
worth Rs. 8 lakhs.
The accused
were found contravening the provisions of the law under section 18 C of
the Drugs and Cosmetics Act (D&C Act) by illegally stocking and
selling the kits without license.
“As part of Beti Bachao, Beti
Padhao (save girl child, educate girl child) social campaign of the
Government that aims to improve the efficiency of welfare services
intended for girls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for the
eradication of female foeticide in the country. Gujarat FDCA's ongoing
crackdown on such illegal activities has been able to curb such
malpractices. Around 3 such wholesale and retail licenses have also been
cancelled and prosecution launched in such cases,” says Gujarat FDCA
Commissioner Dr HG Koshia.
MTP pills are recommended by
physicians only for pregnancies that haven't exceeded 63 days. Medical
abortion pills are prescription drugs that are different from emergency
contraceptive pills. They are taken between 7 to 9 weeks of pregnancy
and cause the embryo to be expelled from the uterus. Chemists can
dispense the drug only against a prescription from a doctor who is
registered under the MTP Act.
The Maharashtra Medical Council
(MMC) had also issued around 60 warning letters for violation of
Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex
Selection) Act (PCPNDT Act) in the recent past. MMC had been receiving
complaints both about rampant violation of PCPNDT Rules like improper
record keeping and sex determination by fake people.
Though a
committee was also set up by the Union health ministry to look into the
issue, MMC suspended licenses in certain cases in the past when it was
proven beyond doubt that actual sex selection has happened in
contravention to the PCPNDT Rules.
The main objective of PCPNDT
Act is prohibition of sex selection and also the regulation of prenatal
diagnostic techniques for detection of genetic abnormalities, by
restricting their use to registered institutions.
Maharashtra
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also detected an inter-state abortion
drug racket with network spanning across Himanchal Pradesh and
Rajasthan last year. A similar kind of racket spanning across Gujarat
and Delhi was the first in the series of such cases unearthed by the FDA
officials team two years ago. Drugs worth over Rs. 3 lakh were confiscated during the raid.
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