Nashik: MTP Act Offence Registered

An offence under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act was registered against a suspended woman doctor of Nashik civil hospital for illegally aborting a 24-week foetus.

Medical officer of Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), Vijay Dekate lodged a complaint against Varsha Lahade last night at Mhasrul police station, Narendra Pingale, an official attached to the police station said.

Lahade was working with the maternity department of Nashik Civil Hospital.

Recently, a team led by the deputy director of health was constituted by the Maharashtra government after a complaint of an alleged incident of female foeticide at Nashik civil hospital on March 22 was filed with the NMC.

The complainant had also alleged that the doctor was running a private hospital despite being in government service.

"After the complaint, a medical squad of NMC, deputy director of health, inspected Lahade's private hospital, where they found forged documents used for registering her hospital, tablets used to abort foetus, and receipts of sex determination test, carried out on a sonography machine," Dekate said.

The team also visited the civil hospital to gather more evidence against Lahade.

The team found that Lahade was running a private hospital on Nashik-Dindori road, registration for which was done using forged papers.

She has also been charged for preparing forged papers and for running a private hospital despite being in government service, said police.

An unknown person had complained to the NMC that Lahade had carried out an abortion of a woman and aborted a 24-week foetus at Nashik civil hospital.

BJP MLA from Nashik, Devyani Pharande had raised the issue during the recently held Assembly session after which the government has suspended Lahade.