To prevent child marriages, the Health Department has made it mandatory that all doctors conduct radiology tests before giving a medical certificate to certify the age of a would-be bride or bridegroom. A circular to this effect was issued on Monday.
“It has come to the department’s notice that doctors are issuing medical certificates without radiology tests. Doctors must conduct radiology tests before certifying the age and if taluk hospitals do not have the equipment, the tests should be conducted in district hospitals,” the circular stated.
This is based on the recommendations of a Core Committee on Prevention of Child Marriage, headed by the former Supreme Court Judge Shivaraj V. Patil.
In the report, Mr. Patil has suggested that either a birth certificate or school documents, or a medical certificate from a doctor is mandatory to prove the age of couples getting married during mass marriages.
