Lok Sabha Question No. 3370 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-18
Subject: Unsafe Abortions
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: RAJESH KUMAR DIWAKAR, GOPALAKRISHNAN CHINNARAJ, SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3370 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH DECEMBER, 2015

## UNSAFE ABORTIONS

## 3370. SHRI RAJESH KUMAR DIWAKER: DR. C. GOPALAKRISHNAN: SHRI SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that highest number of unsafe abortions in the world are done in India and a large number of maternal deaths are caused in the co untry on account of this;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and reaction of the Government thereto;
- (c) whether the Government has conducted/ proposes to conduct any study/ survey on unsafe/ illegal abortions in the country;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the steps taken by the Government to prevent unsafe/illegal abortions in the country?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA)

- (a) & (b): No data on unsafe abortions is collected centrally by the Ministry of Heal Family  Welfare.  However,  based  on  the  WHO  estimates,  South  central  Asia  sub - region (which includes India) has the highest number of unsafe abortions in any sub - region. India giv en the size of the population may be the largest contributor.

Unsafe abortions contribute to about eight percent of all maternal deaths in the countr

- (c)& (d): The Guttmacher Institute (New York), the International Institute for Popula Sciences (Mu mbai) and the Population Council (Delhi) are conducting a research project generate high - quality data on the incidence of abortion and unintended pregnancy in Ind The project will generate 2015 estimates -both national and for six individual states on the

levels  of  induced  abortion  and  unintended  pregnancy,  the  health  consequences  of  un abortion,  the  provision  of  abortion  services  ,  post - abortion  care,  the  rate  of  treatment  for abortion - related  morbidity  in  health  facilities,  and  breakdowns  of  rep roductive  health indicators by key population subgroups.

- (e): In  order  to  make  safe  abortion  services  available  in  public  health  facilities improve the quality of care, a woman centric comprehensive abortion care initiative is implemented  in all  states  since  2010.  The  provisions  of  comprehensive  abortion  servi include
1. Capacity building of the Medical officers in MTP Skills and follow up
2. Rational deployment of these doctors in the facilities to provide Safe abortion s
3. Ensuring avai lability of the medicines and other commodities for these services at public health facilities.
4. Documentation  of  these  abortion  procedures  in  line  with  the  MTP  Act    Rules  an Regulations 2003
5. The  Comprehensive  abortion  service  has  been  included  in  th e  RMNCH+A  matrix being implemented to address issues of pregnancy related mortality and morbidity India.
6. Funds  are  being  made  available  to  the  states  for  abortion  services,  through  a Programme Implementation Plan (PIP).