The next time you get an ultrasound scan or any ante-natal test done, it would be wise to check whether the tests are being done by trained radiologists or technicians. Also make sure that all the reports are signed by the doctors as required by the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC and PNDT) Act.
This is an observation made by members of the State Government's PC and PNDT District Advisory Committee, who inspected radiology departments and scanning units of various private and government hospitals in the city on Thursday.
The committee, headed by S.Y. Prakash Gupta, found during inspection that even private hospitals such as Cradle, Gunasheela Nursing Home and Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) did not maintain the records of patients or follow the procedures for medical termination of pregnancy (MTP).
“If the scan reports were not signed by the doctor concerned in Cradle, the mandatory consent of patients was not taken by doctors before ultrasound scanning in KIMS. In Gunasheela, we checked the reports of patients who underwent tests over the past two years and none of them were signed by doctors,” said Anil Kumar and Vasundhara Bhupathi, committee members.
“When we asked, doctors at Gunasheela and KIMS admitted they were at fault and promised remedial measures. At Cradle, the doctor said he did not sign the report as he had to rush for surgery. But this cannot be an excuse. We suspect the tests here are being done by technicians and later signed by doctors. This creates the suspicion whether sex determination tests are done there,” Dr. Bhupathi said.
The committee, which closed down a diagnostic unit (Sarvajit Diagnostics) in Jayanagar last week for running without registration, inspected Raghava and Clumax Diagnostic Centres on Thursday.
Later, the members inspected BBMP's Siddaiah Referral Hospital and the government-run Vani Vilas Hospital.
In Vani Vilas, the members found that the dusty scanning unit was run by radiologists from Victoria Hospital.
While the consent of patients was not taken, doctors had not filled the mandatory “indications” column in the case sheets of patients who had undergone MTP and laparoscopic tubectomy operation (LTO).
“It is a must to mention the indications in the case sheet before doing the MTP. That apart, the doctors have not endorsed the declaration that sex determination was not done on the patient. This leaves enough room for suspicion that sex determination tests could have been done,” the members reiterated.
Dr. Gupta said the committee would issue notices to hospitals to follow the rules and set right the violations within 10 days failing which their licences to run the units would be withdrawn.
Authorities from Cradle, in a statement, denied the hospital conducted sex determination tests. Admitting that the doctor had not signed the scan report, the hospital said was ready to face action in this regard.
