Nod for ban on portable ultrasound machines
The Central Supervisory Board, set up under the Pre-Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, on Saturday approved the proposal to ban the portable ultrasound sonography machines to prevent their misuse for sex determination, particularly in the rural areas where the sex ratio has dipped shockingly.
At a meeting of the Board held in Mumbai it was also decided that radiologists would now be allowed to register only at two places — within a notified distance. At present, there is no ban on the number of places a radiologist could register at. This helped in procuring ultrasound machines as every machine is registered against a radiologist. All qualified doctors would have to undergo a six-month certification course of the Medical Council of India before they used an ultrasound machine. These courses would be run by the institutes accredited and recognised by the State governments. However, this course would be mandatory for qualified radiologists
An official notification to implement these decisions would be issued by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry soon.
The portable ultrasound machines would be banned totally except in hospitals and institutions where they would be used for diagnostic purposes on critically ill patients and allowed to be carried as part of mobile health care units.
Mobile ultrasound machines — some small enough to be carried on bicycles — were being used in the rural areas for sex determination. There are about 44,000 registered ultrasound machines in the country at present but there is no record of portable ultrasound machines
The Board also decided to allow one radiologist to register at two places only. At present, there is no ban on the number of places a radiologist could register at. This helped in procuring ultrasound machines as every machine is registered against a radiologist.
Importantly, the Board has decided that qualified doctors would be allowed to operate ultrasound machines only after a six-month certification course of the Medical Council of India of India.
Fearing a shortage of radiologists if these measures were implemented, the Radiologists and Imaging Association have also decided to move the Supreme Court against these decisions.
a rediculous decision. SD and second trimester abortions are two different things and involve various doctors including sonologist not necessariliy radilogist and doctors doing abortions. Why single out radilogists then. You have to limit the doctors doing second trimester abortions also..who will you include in that list ?? gynaecologist, ragisterd medical practioners in rural areas where specialists are not available and these things happen in any labour room. Frankly speaking there is shortage of radilogists in this state and they have enough work thro out the day to spare time for SDs. but there are peoples who perform this ugly act. Now to allow any competent doctor to do sonographies after 6 months course.....this will make lot other doctors to enter business who wil not be able to do quality work that a radiologist does after 3 or 2 years of training. Such doctors wil definately do the wrong things. authorities cant control present situation how wil they control new crop.
If some commitee member thinks by some law and recommendations we can eliminate social evil such as corruption, theft, attrocities against minorities, weaker sexx and poor people they are fooling themseleves as well as the community. The best way to do is by educating, educating and again educating these perpetrators, indeed from a childhood onwards at a time when someone can really listen to those educaation. All other measures is again will make it more costly to do all these axtivities, because those who is going to implement these recommendations will not stop recieving the bribe and those practise these evils will never stop bribing.
The problem of Sex determination is Sociological problem and Govt. instead of targeting radiologist should focus on publicity and awareness on Save the Girl Child at all levels from Gram panchayat to Resident Welfare Associations(RWA'S). Govt. should also target on pre-conception which is part of the act,there are various studies wherein in rural area people have adopted to sex selection drugs (SSDs) which are readily available with chemists,grocers, ayurvedic doctors and specific people in villages. Why target Radiologist(M.D)? The act has provision to provide semiskilled ultrasonologist by giving short term training course to MBBS doctors, perhaps such kind of provisions in the Act have made central supervisory board to ban on use of portable machine. The central supervisory board should also highlight what they have done for publicity and awareness among public other than targeting radiologist(those who are already registered with them). Radiologist can be used as informer,pls try.
Agreed, that portable ultrasound is used to detect tumours and many benign and fatal and potentially fatal diseases. BUT, in an Indian scenario where even getting a basic Medial Doctor (M.B.B.S.,) to work in rural areas is near impossible, I can hardly imagine a situation in which a medical doctor carries a portable ultrasound and goes into huts to diagnose tumours and other diseases. If there is a genuine effort by doctors to do the same, a waiver may be considered by the Authorities on a case to case basis. Sex determination in many cases leads to abortion. Estimated upper limit of abortion in India is 67 lakhs per year out of this approximatley 90% are married housewifes and 90% of them already have a male child. AND 10% of above are unsafe abortions. Unsafe abortions are done by quacks leading to septic abortion and consequent maternal death.Studies are many and so can be the interpretation. BUT the underlying factor is need of strict regulations and severe punishment.
In our country today also people's are using this malpractice to check a unborn baby that whether it is a girl or boy so it is necessary to ban these tests in india so the sex ratio increases
Banning portable sonography machine will do more harm than good. The same machines are used for other medical purposes such as eco-cardogram, to detech urinary stones, stomch tumour and cancer detection etc etc. Banning will adversely affect genuine patients who face life-threatening diseases.
Sex determination should be banned. Abortion means killing the baby in the womb Is it not a case of murder.All abortion cases should come under murder case.
Well,glad that atleast my dearest medical profession is not so much
corrupted as much as the other fields.Really glad to realise that still
there is some scope for a BRAND NEW TOMORROW.Its the job of MCI or the
entire medical fraternity to know the defects and propose the probable
solutions and thats what it does.The problem comes to its implementation
and the whole world knows whose responsible.....thnx to the information
explosion and tecnological realm.....MORAL OF THE STORY...."C" WILL PLAGUE THE HUMANS EVEN IN ROBOTIC ERA PROBABLY....
Instead of resolving the actual problem as usual the problem has been solved in
the "Indian way" - as pointed out by others this could be the most insane proposal. Any technological device gets to improve with time and tends to become smaller. Here is a government which says it has to be bulky then only it will not be carried around to do sex determination. This reasoning looks very much like a shoddy lobbying by a company who produces bulky medical equipments and can't compete. This can be easily verified by whether any medical tender for ultrasound equipments are due and who gets shortlisted. If going by the same logic the government has to be uniform in all departments, why don't they say the same thing to cars - there are so many accidents happening so all cars have to be produced to run only at non fatal speed something at 30Km/hr - is this a valid argument?
It is Unfortunate we have very short sighted law makers in our Country! if they stop the screening, are they sure that, the problem will be solved? No way! If the parents kills the baby after birth! it comes across the magzines regularly! Instead it is the duty of Govt. to make understand the importance of having child irrespective of Sex! and at the same time, it is the responsibility of society to change the approach! Govt should put strict law prohibiting Dowrey and lavish marraige party! Will the Govt re-think it! let us wait and see...
How silly. Ban cars because people can die if hit by them too. these geniuses should think first. Why dont parents want girl children. Because of the cost of dowry. Why dont people want girl children because they have to spend so much of money not just educating but also pay for dowry and wedding. Can they ban this situation. Many people who are banning this technology would themselves have taken a dowry for their son or paid for their daughter. India needs to make sure weddings among those who are taking ration and other facilities from the govt should register the wedding one month before hand and all weddings should take place in a registered temple or mosque first prior to having the family ceremony. If parents harass for dowry their assessts should be siezed and they need to be punished. However legistalting against attitudes is very hard.
What next?maybe removing Radiology as a medical specialty might bear
more fruit?
how short sighted and dumb these "Boards" and "Committees" can get!!
Ultrasound isn't just used for PNDT but it seems it's way beyond the
understanding of the luminaries that give such recommendations.As an
analogy, since fake encounters take place should all Policemen below
the rank of say an Inspector prohibited from carrying arms??
Portable USG machines are of immense value in medicine esp in
countries like India where Governmental involvement in public health
mostly deals with red tapism and draconian measures like these.They
are much cheaper compared to "full fledged" machines and also help
decrease the cost of the diagnostic procedure.
But this would apply IF the govt had Public health in mind.
India banned these tests in the year 1976.What have we achieved?Its the biggest shame for our society and the Country that these things are still happening.Perfect example,no law can stop these crimes,unless the Soceity itself realizes.When are we going to realize?younger generations of today please wakeup,its in your hands,don't get carried away by the rotten good for nothing social system which we have been following all these days,it has taught us nothing but discrimination, either on sex,religion,caste etc,. Come out boldly, throw them on the face of yester generation.Make your own beautiful world free from these discriminations and make the Country proud,and make US the yester generation,realize our mistakes.ITS YOU AND ONLY YOU,WHO HAS TO DO IT.
This should be a good move by the Govt. in checking illegal sex determination in rural areas.
Definitely, the proposal if implemented would go a long way in halting the sex determination tests except for criitically-ill patients. Because of the misuse of ultra sound machines and female foetal abortion, in addition to the other problems, a large number of boys do not have alliance for marriage and a social imbalance has resulted in.
It is unfortunate to think Ultrasound machines are used only to determine sex of an unborn baby. It is used in detection of tumors and many such medical scenarios. You do not ban a knife because a mindless husband can harass his wife with a knife. It is outrageous, and it is INDIA in 21st century.
Really a good decision !!!. This move will help to improve sex ratio. There should some punishment for those who ask for sex determination ( patients ) .
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