Coimbatore: It is alarming to note, that despite stringent laws in place, the pills used for Termination of Pregnancy continues to be sold illegally at some retail pharmacies and by the unauthorized doctors in Coimbatore division, which under the Tamilnadu Drug Control department.
Coimbatore: It is alarming to note, that despite stringent laws in place, the pills used for Termination of Pregnancy continues to be sold illegally at some retail pharmacies and by the unauthorized doctors in Coimbatore division, which under the Tamilnadu Drug Control department.
In recent months, there have been several such cases involving quacks selling pills to terminate a pregnancy which was widely reported in the state media.
Following which the department has expedited measures to check this malpractice and are conducting inspections at various pharmacies and clinics to check the menace.
During such raids and inspections, it has been found that that the pills were sold at many pharmacies in violation of rules and regulation laid under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, (Rules and Regulation).
According to S Gurubharathi, Assistant Director, Drug Control Department, (Coimbatore division) five such cases were filed against pharmacies in June last, and a total number of 21 cases have detected by the respective Drug Inspectors.
“It is alarming to note that only 40 cases were booked in the last year and the number of cases have already reached half by now," Gurubharathi said.
“In most cases, the drugs were sold over the counter by pharmacies, while in certain other cases, direct involvement of doctors was found in procuring the medicines” Gurubharathi said and added “that the numbers would have been more if the raids been conducted by the department on a regular basis”.
A senior Drug Inspector on conditions of anonymity told Simplicity “it is unfortunate to know that unauthorized doctors have been found involved to terminate the pregnancy by prescribing the medicines. Selling the drugs without properly following the laws would place them in violation of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) (Rules and Regulations) Act.
“It has come to notice of the department that several doctors are running small pharmacies along with clinics without proper approval and are prescribing medicines to the patients approaching them. It is not generally easy to detect such cases in such a complex situation. Many of the cases for selling the pills, like the Unwanted Kit, Kushi Kit, and AB2 Kit, to terminate the pregnancy has come through the retail medical shops in the city than in rural areas” he noted.
“According to the laws of the land, MTP can be performed by doctors specialized in Gynecology and Obstetrics and have experience for a period of not less than three years. Such doctors who have assisted a registered medical practitioner in the performance of twenty-five cases of medical termination of pregnancy of which at least five have been performed independently, in a hospital established, or training institute run by the government” he further said.
“The act further states the termination can be done at a place approved time to time by the Government and has facilities, like gynaecology examination, labour table resuscitation and sterilization equipment, drugs, and parental fluid and back up facilities for treatment”.
“However, it was found that unauthorized doctors have prescribed termination medicines in certain cases” the drug inspector claimed.
He cited that no cases have been filed against the doctors and the role to monitor them is the paramount duty of the Public Health department.
A Thirunavakarasu, chairman, of Tamilnadu Chemists and Druggists Association said that “many retailers have stopped the sale of the medicine after cases of illegal use of medicine came up in Vellore and other areas in the state”.
The association has given clear instruction to all the chemists to follow the norms to the tee.
However, he denied that any cases of violation were booked against Chemists recently.
Tamilnadu Pharmaceutical Distribution association state Joint Secretary B Krishnankutty said “that wholesalers do not have much role and they have to issue the pills if demanded by the distributors. However, they have cautioned the distributors in this regard” he said.
When contacted P Krishna, Joint Director, State Public Health Department, said so far no cases of doctors violating the law has come to their knowledge.
“However, we have trained the Government doctors approved for it and also created awareness among others during the Indian Medical Association meeting held here”.
She said any such violations can be directly reported to the department which would imitate penal action against such illegal and unsafe practices of terminating pregnancy.