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Reports on foeticide irk doctors

CUTTACK: Gynaecologists and obstetricians of Orissa have reacted strongly to the recent media reports in which the entire fraternity is ‘wrongly’ blamed for the recent female foeticide scandal in Nayagarh and other parts of the State. They have urged the State Government to stop coercive actions against the innocent doctors and formulate a fool-proof policy to check the female foeticide.

Speaking to newsmen here on Tuesday, members of the Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Orissa (AOGA) said due to recent arrest of doctors and raids on private hospitals in the wake of Nayagarh scandal, the very purpose of ‘safe abortion’ and ‘check on population explosion’ as enshrined in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act-1971 were being defeated.

Senior gynaecologists pointed out that a registered medical practitioner should not be held guilty of any offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or under any other law, if he terminates any pregnancy in accordance with the provisions of MTP Act.

“If any pregnancy would invoke risk to the life of the mother or if the child would suffer from serious physical or mental abnormalities, then the pregnancy has to be terminated for the better interest of society,” said AOGA president J.J. Mallick.

With regard to the female foeticide, the AOGA members said Orissa has a very limited scope for sex determination and said all MTP cases should not be viewed as the female foeticide.

Eminent gynaecologist of the State P.C. Mohapatra said sex selection techniques before or after conception was in very infant stage in Orissa.

“The genetic study of the embryo through biopsy is not possible in any part of the State and even if it is done elsewhere in the country, it is very costly.

Secondly, the ultra-sonography technology which is essential to know the congenital deformity of the embryo, is also a complicated method to know the sex of the embryo,” says Dr. Mohapatra.

Only 10 per cent of gynaecologists in the State who were trained in radiology were able to determine the sex of the embryo where the accuracy was also very low, Dr. Mohapatra said adding that PNDT Act enacted in 1994 had the provisions to check the female foeticide.

The doctors were unanimous in saying that an unnecessary hue and cry was made in the State in recent days over the issue in which the innocent doctors were blamed for no fault of theirs.

They, however, called for strong actions not only against the erring doctors who were violating the PNDT Act but also against the patient as well as the staff of the organisations where the female foeticide was being done.

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