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| Crackdown against clinics misusing |
| Health authorities are carrying out surprise checks on all sonography centers to ensure that the law is being followed.
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| INDIA
, 31-August-2007
3:8:56 AM |
| Civic health authorities in Mumbai are carrying out surprise checks across ultrasound clinics to check if the law against sex determination is being followed.
They are not only checking small nursing homes, but also the big hospitals. Authorities at Mumbai's prominent Nanavati Hospital were caught unawares by the crackdown on ultrasound clinics.
Health authorities are carrying out surprise checks on all sonography centers to ensure that the law is being followed.
The 1994 Act called the Pre Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques or PCPNDT Act bans sex determination and lays down strict norms for diagnostic clinics.
The law says that every clinic:
Must display in English and the local language a sign stating that sex determination is banned and illegal
A copy of the PCPNDT Act
Maintain a register of patients undergoing ultrasound tests
Keep an F form where patients and doctors state their reasons for going in for an ultrasound, which helps authorities ensure that technologies allowing sex selection are not being misused
Violation of any of these provisions is punishable with three years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000.
''It's important to observe these rules like displaying the sign because then the patient who comes here knows at the very outset that sex determination is not practised here,'' said Dr Asha Advani, BMC in-charge, PNDT Cell.
The crackdown comes after a report by local NGOs exposed how blatantly many ultrasound clinics in the city were violating sex determination laws.
Checks will be carried out across 24 wards and sonography machines from clinics will be seized.
''We seal the machines until they pay the fine and give an undertaking that they will not break the law again,'' said Jayant Chaukker, BMC Ward Officer (Andheri West).
At 898 girls for 1000 boys Mumbai has one of the lowest sex ratios among the metros, second only to Delhi with some worst figures coming from the posh localtites.
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