Data obtained from the BMC public health department shows that the abortion rate was cut in half with only 7,865 women undergoing medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) in the five-month period from April to August. The city witnesses some 35,000 abortions each year.
The Covid-19 lockdown began on March 25 and continues even today, albeit in a relaxed manner with many restrictions lifted.
From April 2019 to March 2020, Mumbai recorded 35,778 abortions, a small drop from the previous year’s figure of 36,315.
‘Pvt hospitals have failed women in the last 5 months’
RTI activist Chetan Kothari, who obtained the data from BMC’s public health department, said: “The city has witnessed more than 30,000 abortions a year over the last five years. Even considering that between 2,500 and 3,000 women seek MTP each month, the number for the April-August period of this year is low. ” BMC data is compiled by looking for details of each gynecologist registered to offer MTP services. While the municipal districts of Andheri, K-West and K-East typically record the highest number of medical interruptions, the districts counted 1,275 and 657 abortions in the April-August period.
BMC Executive Health Director Dr. Mangala Gomare said abortion services were available at public health facilities during the Covid-19 lockdown period, but that transportation could have been a problem for women. While local trains are not available to the general public, other public transportation services were available sparingly in April and May.
“There was also widespread fear about Covid-19 in the initial shutdown period, resulting in very few people venturing out of their homes,” said a doctor in the gynecology department of a BMC hospital.
BMC Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said MTP services were available in almost all public facilities. “We have 28 maternity homes and only three were declared as exclusive Covid facilities. Many of our suburban and superspecialty hospitals offered non-Covid services, “he said.
Cehat’s Sangeeta Rege, who helps run the Dilaasa crisis intervention centers at BMC hospitals, said the MTP was among the services declared essential by the Center in mid-April.
She felt that while public hospitals did their part for Covid-19, the private sector did not step in and help.
“Public hospitals bore the burden of Covid during these five months. Many health care providers were reassigned to other facilities and institutions and it became difficult for BMC hospitals to continue providing essential services. Despite this, three survivors of rape that required MTP received services in public hospitals, ”he said.
“The private health sector has mostly failed women even in these times. Not only did they close a lot of private facilities, the ones that were open doubled costs citing PPE, “Rege said.
In a research article published a month ago, IPAS, an international NGO that focuses on increased access to safe abortion and contraception, estimated that 1.85 million abortions were compromised during the first phase of the shutdown in the country.
IPAS estimates that 15.6 million abortions occur nationwide each year, and 73% of these occur through medical abortions.
“We estimate that in normal times, 3.9 million abortions would have been performed in the three-month period. Of these, access to 1.85 million abortions, or 47%, is likely to be compromised due to a combination of factors affecting the healthcare system, the supply chain of drugs for medical abortion, and the mobility of women / their partners, ” says the IPAS document.
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