GMCH facing shortage of injectable contraceptives

Aurangabad, Dec 24:

To help in family planning or avoid unwanted pregnancy, the state Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has provided an injectable contraceptive '' Antara'' for desirous patients in the government hospitals. Accordingly, the injection was in great demand at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for the past nine months. Meanwhile, the hospital is struggling to acquire it, but the results are disappointing.

This contraceptive is taken after six weeks of the delivery. It has to be taken on a gap of every three months. Many a time, it is noticed that the patients forget to take pills to avoid conceiving. As a result, women had to face an unwanted pregnancy. The state''s health department is providing this injectable contraceptive for free of cost to the women.

Meanwhile, the GMCH is facing a shortage of ''Antara''. The women taking these contraceptives are now coerced to consume pills to avoid unwanted pregnancy. The injectable contraceptive is provided by state health administration to all the government hospitals through Zilla Parishad''s health section. The head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OBG-GMCH) Dr Shrinivas Gadappa said, " We were administering 5-6 injectable contraceptives every month. Our stock has been exhausted. As a result, the GMCH administration has contacted the Zilla Parishad to provide it."

According to the sources, " The ZP has told GMCH that the injectable contraceptive is also not available in their stock."