The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Scan machines seized from private hospitals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 20, 2007
ePaper

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Scan machines seized from private hospitals

Staff Reporter

In inspections carried out by Union Health Ministry team

Action recommended for violating PNDT Act
Two pre-natal diagnostic test labs closed

Thiruvananthapuram: In surprise inspections conducted in some private hospitals, clinics and infertility centres in the city on Friday, a two-member team from the monitoring cell of the PNDT Division, Union Ministry for Health, have recommended action against the hospital authorities for violating the provisions of the Pre Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Tests (Prevention of Misuse) Act (PNDT Act).

The officials sealed or seized several ultrasound scan machines from these institutions which had not been registered as required under law. Other violations include improper record-keeping; non-reporting of ultrasound scans done on pregnant women and failure to display the board which says that sex-determination or selection is a punishable offence.

The two-member team, including PNDT Division Director K. Singh and the Legal Officer M.K. Sharma conducted inspections at the Samad Hospital, Medical Mission Hospital and Doctors’ Diagnostic Research Centre in the city.

Apart from sealing several scan machines in these institutions, two pre-natal diagnostic test labs at one of these hospitals were also closed, the district health administration officials who accompanied the team, said.

The PNDT Act, which was enacted by the Union Government in 1994, says that no genetic counselling centre, laboratory or clinic shall employ pre-natal diagnostic techniques, including ultra-sonography, for the purpose of determining the sex of the foetus. Any violation of the provisions of the Act is punishable with imprisonment of a term which may extend to five years, and a fine.

Taking note of the alarming fall in sex ratio and its possible connection to the increasing use of pre-natal diagnostic techniques, the Supreme Court in 2001 ordered the Centre to tighten the implementation of PNDT Act.

Following this directive, the Act was amended in 2003 and district and State-level advisory committees were set up to implement the provisions of the PNDT Act strictly.

Under the Act, every ultrasound scan machine in any hospital/clinic should be registered with the district advisory committee chaired by the District Medical Officer. The institutions have to submit reports on every scan done on pregnant women. The doctor as well as the pregnant woman should sign a declaration that the scan was not used to determine the sex of the foetus. Each case is supposed to be followed up and reported promptly to the district committee.

However, the inspection team today found that none of the hospitals were filing the reports. Most were running several scan machines even though only one machine was registered.

Talking to The Hindu, Mr. Sharma, said while the government had been trying to strengthen the PNDT Act, many private hospitals were not cooperating with such efforts.

“The sex ratio has been falling steadily, so the presumption is that pre-natal tests are being misused. The doctors are well aware of the Act but continue to violate it blatantly,” he added.

The team had inspected hospitals in Kollam district yesterday where similar violations were found.

Though the overall sex ratio in Kerala was favourable to women, in the 0-6 age group, the sex ratio stands at 963 girls per 1,000 boys as per 2001 census.

District health authorities said a fine would be imposed on the hospitals which were found to have violated the PNDT Act.

The hospital authorities have been asked to submit their explanations to the district PNDT advisory panel.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala