Centre's nod for injectable contraceptive for women

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JUNE 20. The Union Ministry of Family Welfare has given the go-ahead for social marketing of emergency contraception (the morning after pill) and introduction of Net- en, the controversial injectable contraception for women.

This was announced by the Union Minister, Dr C. P. Thakur, at the first meeting of the Empowered Action Group on Population here on Monday. The meeting, attended by representatives from eight densely-populated States, experts and NGOs, was told that permission had been granted to give women more choice. Bihar, lagging behind in the utilisation of Reproductive and Child Health funds, kept away from the meeting. So did the department of primary education. After the Supreme Court vacated the stay on introduction of Net-en, on a petition filed by women's groups which had argued that the side-effects of the invasive hormonal method had not been tried and tested on Indian women, the Government decided to introduce it as a pilot project.

Twelve medical colleges, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research, would introduce Net- en, manufactured by a German company, on a pilot basis. The colleges would study women's response to the bi- monthly shots. A vial, which costs about Rs. 120, would be subsidised under the social marketing scheme and would cost about Rs. 80 per injection. The colleges selected for the pilot project were the Delhi-based University College of Medical Sciences, the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Government Medical Colleges in Meerut, Allahabad, Sambhalpur, Gwalior, Udaipur, Shimla, Rohtak, Bhopal and the R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata.

In addition, 12 medical colleges had been identified in west and south India to conduct research on the acceptability of Net-en.

Dr. Thakur said national consultations on emergency contraceptives had been completed. The Government had accepted the primary recommendation to introduce Net- en under the social marketing programme ``without delay.'' The eight States which participated in the meeting included Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh.

The Minister was not happy with Rajasthan and Gujarat going in for the two-child norm, which was against the spirit of the Cairo Conference that India had endorsed. To ensure better participation of doctors at the primary health centres, the Government would initiate discussions on the re-introduction of the three-year LMP (Licenciate in Medical Practice). Discussions would also be held on allowing MBBS doctors to conduct laparoscopic operations.

The meeting noted that although there were female foeticide in States, no one had been booked under the recently-enacted Pre- Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation Prevention and Misuse) Act, 1994.

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