The World Health Organisation (WHO) has extended financial support to the tune of Rs 60 lakh to Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists of India (FOGSI) through the Union government for the proposed National Medical Termination Programme (MTP). The amount will be utilised to support two districts in each of the eight states that have been short listed by the Government for monitoring and training the doctors for the manual vacuum aspiration (MVA), which is proved to be the best and the safest methods for abortion.

Routing the WHO fund, the Government of India has also chalked out a definite action plan to control unsafe abortions in the country in association with FOGSI.Besides, the Centre is also working out guidelines for medical process of termination.

The MVA project is a tripartite venture of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, government of India, WHO and FOGSI. The entire responsibility to initiate and implement the MVA project is in the hands of FOGSI which has around 26 committees each of which that looks after specific reproductive health care needs. Incidentally, FOGSI has brought out three publications titled: MTP Act with explanations, MTP fact file, induced abortions unsafe.

In an exclusive interview with Pharmabiz.com Dr. Nazer K Sheriar, head of the MTP committee of FOGSI, a consulting obstetrician & gynaecologist and a gynaecologist endoscopist from Mumbai said, "We consider the MVA pilot as a path breaking project for FOGSI as the government has provided total support to the project for the first time in the country."

MVA is a very simple technique for an safe abortion. "We at FOGSI have sensitised the issue of unsafe abortions and are creating an awareness about the MVA procedure. The government is being convinced that if members of FOGSI could MVA, then the procedure could be adopted at each of the primary health centres in the country," he said.

The government has gone a step ahead in assigning FOGSI with eight states- Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Rajasthan. In each of the states, two districts have been identified. There is a national co-ordination committee and eight state co-coordinating committees. "We are training the trainers in each state. There will be 20 doctors from each district who will get trained and return to practice it. FOGSI will monitor their work at close quarters. If this works here, the government can take on the project to the peripheral areas," noted Dr. Sheriar.