Patna, April 23: The state government, as part of its ongoing process to empower women, today launched, Yukti Yojana, a scheme in association with private partners to promote safe abortions, especially among the poor and rural women to reduce maternal mortality ratio (MMR).

The concept behind the scheme is to improve women’s health through safe abortions. An estimated 5.8 lakh abortions are carried out in the state each year, which constitutes 80 per cent unsafe abortions, causing 2,000 deaths almost every year.

The scheme offers women seeking first trimester abortions, treatment of incomplete abortions and complications, increased access to these services at accredited private sites apart from government hospitals and healthcare centres. These services would be provided free of cost.

Interested private parties, running healthcare centres and hospitals, would be accredited for an initial period of three years to provide enlisted services free of cost and would be reimbursed by the government at a pre-determined rate on submission of prescribed reports.

State health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who unveiled the logo of the scheme at a function here, expressed the concern over MMR and said: “According to religious faith, it is not correct to carry out abortions but we have to move along with the changing times, particularly when the MMR is 312, and if we have to reduce it and bring it below the national average of 254. After that we will try and control unsafe abortions.”

Giving a slogan “Yukti se hi Mukti”, Choubey warned those private ultrasound centres or clinics, which carry out unsafe abortions that they should not take refuge under the new scheme and should not resort to any illegal abortions, particularly in case of female foeticide.

“If the programme has to be a success, the message and the toll free number must be publicised at the panchayat-level,” the minister said. He also gave away certificates to the representatives of three Ara-based accredited private sites.

Social welfare minister Parveen Amanullah launched a toll free number 1800-102-8464, which would provide information relating to abortions to. Amanullah dialled the number and asked some basic questions on the helpline.

State health society executive director Sanjay Kumar, who played a pioneer role in formulating the scheme, said: “We have been working on the scheme for the past nine months.”