Panel to check sex determination units

Patna: There will be a three-layered inspection committee to crack down on ultrasound centres which conduct sex-determination techniques.

District magistrate (DM) Kumar Ravi on Thursday asked Patna civil surgeon Pramod Jha to constitute probe committees at three levels, including one for conducting raids at block level, another for conducting raids at sub-divisional level and third for district level.

The district administration’s move to form committee at three levels is aimed at conducting raids more effectively to nab those who are involved in illegal practice. So far, there was no separate committee for conducting raids at block, sub-divisional or district level and there was no designated team either due to which the raids were not proving to be very much effective.

Patna DM Kumar Ravi told The Telegraph that he held a joint meeting with civil surgeon Pramod Jha and members of the state chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) in which he issued the direction. “While the committee which is supposed to conduct raids at block level would be headed by block development office and would also comprise medical-officer in-charge (MOIC), the one which would conduct raid at sub-divisional level would have sub-divisional officer and superintendent of sub-divisional hospital and at district level there would be six committee for conducting raids which would have both district level officials and doctors,” said DM Ravi.

Civil surgeon Pramod Jha admitted that conducting raids by one or two teams in the whole district seemed near-impossible for his office. “We also felt that we were not being able to cover the whole district by forming just one or two teams in the district for the work,” said Jha.

The district administration’s move to form a three-layered inspection committees comes a day after an electronic channel’s sting operation showed that two private establishments in the state capital were involved in an illegal sex-determination racket. Jha was asked to conduct a probe into this matter by health minister Mangal Pandey on Wednesday when the electronic channel telecast the sting operation.

The civil surgeon’s office team, which started the probe at the private establishments on Wednesday itself, seized documents of Bharti Ultrasound, which is situated at Kankerbagh while it has taken statement of officials of the Bypass-situated Sneha Hospital and Patna City-based City Sewa Sadan officials. Jha said that his office would submit the probe report to the health department within a day or two.

The Patna DM, in a clear-cut instruction to the civil surgeon, has also asked that if any ultrasound centre is found operating without following rules and regulations and is found conducting sex-determination technique, the centre has to be sealed first and a notice has to be slapped against its owner as to why cannot the centre be closed.

“While in case any centre is found operating without licence, an FIR should be lodged against its owners and those who lack necessary documents, a simple notice has to be sent to the centre owner asking it to arrange the documents at earliest otherwise action might be taken against it,” added Ravi.

He said that on Thursday’s meeting, he also asked the civil surgeon to act against clinical establishments which are running without registered medical practitioners. “The state IMA officials have also agreed to our decisions and they have assured us of support in our drive,” added Ravi.

Courtesy: The Telegraph