Mumbai: In an effort to fight the rising circumstances of prenatal intercourse willpower and subsequent abortions, the well being division has introduced a reward of ₹1 lakh for people offering details about dad and mom or households in search of to find out the gender of a foetus previous to supply. A devoted helpline has additionally been established for residents to lodge complaints in opposition to defaulters. However, no calls associated to prenatal intercourse willpower have been acquired until date, knowledgeable a senior well being official.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) well being division has appointed a particular officer to carefully monitor such circumstances, conducting common visits to hospitals and clinics. Legal actions are being taken in opposition to centres discovered responsible of conducting intercourse willpower checks, that are unlawful in India. Medical practitioners discovered violating the legislation might be sentenced to 3 years of rigorous imprisonment and a advantageous of as much as ₹10,000.

Poor implementation of PC-PNDT Act

An official stated, “Experts had already feared a decline in the sex ratio in Mumbai and other parts of the state because of what they call “poor implementation of the Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act.” The Act was designed to ban intercourse choice methods after conception and forestall the misuse of prenatal diagnostic methods for sex-selective functions.

According to the newest census, Maharashtra’s intercourse ratio stands at 929 females per 1,000 males, beneath the nationwide common of 940. In 2001, the intercourse ratio in Maharashtra was reported as 922 females per 1,000 males. An government well being officer on the BMC, Dr Daksha Shah, stated, “There was only one complaint from the state government in the last six months, which we have duly replied. We have a special team of doctors to verify that complaint. Also, our doctors regularly visit sonography centres for inspection.”

Preventing fetal intercourse prognosis and punishing violators

Doctors performing sonography are required to register and renew their centres with the well being division, following any directions issued by the state’s public well being division. A senior well being official emphasised the significance of the Pre-Conception and Antenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prevention of Sex Selection Act), 1994 Amendment Act, 2003 as a method to forestall fetal intercourse prognosis and punish violators. He added, “In some cities of the state, even today, cases of abortion occur if the baby is found to be a girl after sex determination.”

While some docs have been duly punished for participating in intercourse willpower practices, many proceed to take action covertly for monetary acquire, significantly in rural elements of Maharashtra, stated an skilled.

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Published on: Saturday, September 02, 2023, 12:59 AM IST