Chandigarh, September 7: The Health & Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu has issued the instructions to all Civil Surgeons to immediately inform the State Medical Council and other concerned Registering authorities about the Doctor/Staff member of scanning centre against whom case under PC & PNDT Act has been registered.
Presiding over a meeting of State Supervisory Board at Parivar Kalyan Bhawan regarding compliance of the provisions of PC & PNDT Act, Sidhu said that if court case/FIR is registered against any doctor or any other registered person such as staff nurses or registered centre under PC&PNDT Act, the raid teams should immediately send the information to the State Medical Council or concerned Registering Council.
He also said that if the violators are convicted by the court, it is the duty of Health Department to inform the concerned regulatory authority for taking further appropriate action including suspension of the registration of Doctor, Nurse, other staff members and Scanning Centre.
Reacting on the higher rate of acquittal of violators, the Health Minister asked the Principal Secretary Health Anurag Aggarwal to look into the reasons for the acquittal of doctors charged for violation of PC & PNDT Act.
He said that he would also review these cases in the next meeting. He said that it is a matter of concern if the eyewitness in the case such as decoy patient or officer of health department retract from statement in court. He said the state government will devise a strong mechanism under which stern action should be taken against the erring persons.
The Principal Secretary Health & Family Welfare Department Anurag Aggarwal said that in order to crack down on the mafia involved in this business, instructions have already been sent to increase inspections/stings/raids in districts where sex ratio is low. He also informed the Board that 24 sting operations have been conducted in the State after signing MoU with private detective agency.
He further said that Online monitoring of Ultrasound Machines is in process. Soon all machines operating in the State would be linked with the server monitor at the State level. He said that every scanning would be overseen at the centres after implementing of online monitoring system.
He also said that civil surgeons have been instructed to ensure the monitoring of early Mother Child Tracking (MCT) at district level.
