Despite numerous alerts and monitoring mechanisms by the health department, incidents of female foeticide in Haryana continue unabated. A recent report has triggered serious concern, revealing that 1,154 pregnant women underwent abortions in just three months. The health department suspects that a majority of these abortions were carried out after it was discovered that the foetus was female.
Major Lapse in Monitoring
The situation becomes even more alarming as it emerges that the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), assigned to monitor and counsel these women, failed in their duties. The department has issued show-cause notices to 56 ASHA workers who were supposed to stay in regular contact with the pregnant women, guide them like ‘Sahelis’ (friends), and monitor their health and well-being. However, the department now believes there was a major lapse in monitoring.
Following the revelations, the health department has gone into alert mode. Officials stated that monitoring of pregnant women will now be intensified. If necessary, support from police and legal authorities will also be sought to curb such practices.
Andhra Pradesh Sees 291% Surge in Registered Infant Deaths Despite IMR Success
True Numbers May Be Higher
According to sources within the department, the figures reported so far may not reflect the actual number of abortions. Discrepancies have been found between data provided by ASHA workers and intelligence gathered through internal sources. Suspecting that the real numbers might be significantly higher, a covert team has been deployed to investigate the matter more thoroughly.
This revelation has sent shockwaves through the health department. In the wake of the ASHA workers’ negligence, special teams at the headquarters have now been put on high alert to track such cases more vigilantly.
The department is now pushing for stricter enforcement and closer surveillance in a bid to curb the illegal practice of sex-selective abortions in the state.
