Authorities concerned have so far not acted to curb the illegal abortion services by these private clinics. [break]
In the past week alone, three pregnant women have suffered excessive bleeding while under going operation for abortions. Their sufferings came to light only after they were referred to District Hospital of Mugu.
The rampant use of Medone, which is not used in government hospitals, was also disclosed while the three women were being treated at the district hospital.
"It is learnt that doctors at private clinics, which have not obtained licenses for running abortion services, use Medone that causes excessive bleeding in pregnant women," said Dr Krishna Acharya, who works at District Hospital of Mugu. "Often, pregnant women come to us after suffering from excessive bleeding caused by Medone."
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has authorized only district public health offices for safe abortion services. However, private clinics that have mushroomed in recent years have been running abortion service unchecked as the government has not set up any mechanism to oversee their illegal activities.
Dr Acharya, who is also the chief of District Public Health Office, Mugu, says that government health workers are themselves involved in selling Medone to private medical centers. Private medical centers then charge poor pregnant women more for the same tablet. A tablet of Medone costs only Rs 850 in Nepalgunj.
But women in Mugu district have to pay Rs 1,800 for a single tablet of Medone.
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