After a sex-determination racket was recently busted in Warangal, it has come to the notice of authorities that it is prevalent in various other parts of the State. Businesspersons and unqualified persons such as quacks are setting up hospitals and committing such illegal activities for profit and greed.
Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Technique (PCPNDT) Act 1994 was enacted by the Parliament to stop female foeticide and arrest the declining sex ratio in India. The Act banned prenatal sex determination.
Dr. B.N. Rao, president of Indian Medical Association (IMA) Telangana State, while congratulating the district medical officers and the police for arresting the gang in Warangal, said that qualified doctors should not succumb to temptations and indulge in such activities. The government should keep this in mind, stand by the people, and make them aware of the responsibility of protecting the girl child and the PCPNDT Act.
Speaking to The Hindu, Dr. Kiran Madala, HoD, Critical Care at Government Medical College, Nizamabad said, “Most of the sex-determination tests are done by Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs). They take advantage of situations which involve teen pregnancies and unwanted/ pre-marital pregnancies,” he said.
The trend of sex determination tests is decreasing but it is still prevalent. The whole racket is highly organised, they are very difficult to be traced. The sting operation which was carried out in Warangal, such methods are the best way to bust these rackets, Dr Kiran added.
The gender of the child can be known within seven to eight weeks into the pregnancy and the period in which abortions are done is between 10 to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion up to 20 weeks is legal in India and in exceptional cases, it can also be extended up to 24 weeks. These rackets are using this legal process to conduct illegal activities.
From the side of the government, it is the job of the District Medical and Health Officers (DMHOs) and Telangana State Medical Council (TSMC) to conduct regular inspections at centres which are capable of doing such tests. The government has to bring in regulations in place so that these tests can be stopped, said Dr. Mahesh, president of Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association.
