Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on Thursday approved a proposal to implement the amended Medical Termination of Pregnancy(Amendment)Act,2021 providing for universal access for women to comprehensive abortion care and termination of certain Registered Medical Practitioners(RMP).

Giving details here, officials said Parliament had amended the MTP Act two years back and the central government wrote to all states and Union Territories(UT)to notify the amendments.

 Saxena expressed grave displeasure and surprise that the matter was presented for approval after a lapse of more than two years, the communication for which was mailed by the Central Government to the GNCTD in December 2021.

 While considering the significance of the issue and agreeing to the proposal, the LG directed the Health Department, GNCTD to ascertain the lapses leading to inordinate delay in processing the matter and asked to assign the responsibility and exercise caution in future.

 Reacting on the LG’s move, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said though the note of LG saab has not reached his office yet, however, like earlier occasions contents of official note have been leaked to Media. So his response is based on assumption that Media got the contents from some Senior Government officials working at LG office. Though it’s a prevalent practice to leak official notes to Media/social media, however, the attempt of CS Naresh Kumar to intimidate my office staff for alleged release of official note to Media/social media is laughable.

“Health, being a state, subject, comes directly under the purview of the elected government and with great confidence it is assured that the elected government is equally sensitive towards universal healthcare for all, including women.It appears that Hon’ble LG has not been informed that till date that apart from Odisha neither any BJP ruled state nor any non-BJP ruled state has issued notification regarding the revised statutory forms the amended MTP Act,2021,” Bharadwaj said.

In the year 2021 major amendments were made in the MTP Act by the Central Government by which opinion of only one RMP will be required up to 20 weeks of gestation and of two RMPs for termination of pregnancy of 20-24 weeks of gestation under special circumstances