BANGALORE: The implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act, which bans the determination of sex of the foetus, is very weak in the State.

A large number of ultrasound sonography centres have mushroomed in cities and towns and many unqualified operators are into scanning on account of the poor supervisory role by the health authorities.

There were 1,621 registered sonography centres in the four health divisions of the State in 2004. Unqualified and untrained persons own 65 per cent of the centres. The number of centres owned by untrained persons is the highest in Bangalore Urban (368) and Belgaum districts (65).

About 21.9 per cent of the centres are registered under gynaecologists and 13 per cent under radiologists/sonologists. As per the PNDT Act, any person can own a sonography centre provided the person who operates the machine has a qualified degree or has been trained to carry out the tests.

A significant number of untrained owners have not appointed a qualified operator to perform tests, which is a gross violation of the law. Over 80 per cent of the Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) doctors in Bangalore city feel the need for a scanning machine in their line of treatment though they are not trained to conduct tests, revealed a study `Functioning of Ultrasound Sonography Centres in Karnataka 2005,' conducted for the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Act amended in 2003

The Centre introduced the PNDT Act in 1996 to prevent misuse of medical technology for pre-natal sex determination and abortion of the female foetus. Because of inadequacies and practical difficulties in the implementation of the Act, it was amended in 2003 and thereafter called Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act.

Of the registered centres (1,621) in the State, 46 per cent are in Bangalore division with Bangalore Urban district alone accounting for 36 per cent. Belgaum division (371) and Mysore division (334) account for one-fifth of the centres while Gulbarga division accounts for 11 per cent (178). About 60 per cent of the centres have qualified operators such as gynaecologists or radiologists/ultrasonologists, according to a study conducted by M. Sivakami and T.S. Shyamala of Population Research Centre, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore.

Four districts — Bangalore Urban, Belgaum, Mysore and Dakshina Kannada — account for 50 per cent of the sonography centres in the State. There are more than 50 centres in Bangalore Urban (531), Belgaum, (125), Mysore (85), Mangalore (83), Dharwad (79), Bagalkot (55), Gulbarga (53), Bellary (53) and Udupi (52).

Belgaum district ranks next only to Bangalore Urban in terms of number of centres and Belgaum has the lowest sex ratio in the State. Belgaum is adjacent to western Maharashtra where the child sex ratio is very low. Thus there is possible a regional effect, the study pointed out.

The child sex ratio in Bangalore Urban, Belgaum, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Gulbarga is lower than the State average of 946. The decline in child sex ratio indicated that technology is being misused. Kodagu district, which has only 13 centres, has the highest child sex ratio (977) in the State.

Cost of test

It was found that 70 per cent of the centres are ultrasound and imaging centres and most of the ultrasound centres have mushroomed in recent years. The cost of one test ranges from Rs. 300 to Rs. 500 depending on the centres and area where they are located.

According to Section 29 of the PNDT Act, the owners are expected to maintain all records, forms, reports and consent forms and preserve them for two years. But a significant number of owners have violated the rule, the researchers said.

The State and the district health authorities are not strict in performing their duties as for as matters related to sonography centres are concerned. The authorities concerned have not visited over 70 per cent of the centres, they said.

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