Haryana NEWS : Haryana Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Sh. Sudhir Rajpal has directed the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) to conduct a Community Health Centre (CHC)-wise analysis of the sex ratio across the state. He emphasized that strict action should be taken against CHCs showing poor performance in this regard.
Presiding over a meeting with officials from the Health, Women and Child Development (WCD), and Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) departments, Sh. Rajpal reviewed the progress of various initiatives aimed at improving the sex ratio at birth. He underscored the need for a coordinated, multi-departmental approach to effectively tackle the issue.
During the meeting, he instructed the WCD Department to intensify Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities to further enhance the sex ratio. He proposed deploying awareness vans to educate communities on gender equality and screening short films on the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) initiative in cinema halls. Additionally, he encouraged the promotion of cultural practices such as “Kuan Puja” to celebrate the birth of a girl child.
Sh. Rajpal also stressed the importance of tracking pregnancies more efficiently. He mandated that all pregnancies be registered in the first trimester on the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal, with delayed registrations requiring special approval from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the respective district. Any negligence in this process would result in strict action against the responsible individuals.
Furthermore, he directed the Health Department to intensify inspections of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) centers and conduct raids on facilities involved in illegal sex determination practices. He also instructed the Ayush Department to monitor BAMS practitioners for any unlawful activities related to sex determination.
To curb the illegal sale of MTP kits, Sh. Rajpal ordered FDA officials to track and report online and offline sales of these kits to CMOs across the state. He stressed that MTP kits should only be available at registered medical facilities.
As part of efforts to promote gender equality, Sh. Rajpal suggested appointing female sarpanches with only girl children as brand ambassadors in campaigns to improve the sex ratio. He directed officers to identify five such sarpanches from each district for this initiative. Additionally, he recommended offering counseling sessions for families with a single girl child through the 104 helpline.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Manish Bansal, Director General Health Services (DGHS), Smt. Monika Malik, Director of the WCD Department, Dr. Mukta Kumar, Chief Medical Officer of Panchkula, and other senior officials from the Health, WCD, and FDA departments.