E-Paper
Ultrasound machines at 3 diagnostic centres sealed in Ludhiana
Ludhiana civil surgeon Dr Jasbir Singh Aulakh had last week inspected these under scanner centres and found irregularities under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act 1994
The local health authorities here sealed ultrasound machines at three diagnostic centres and issued show-cause notices to two others.
Ludhiana civil surgeon Dr Jasbir Singh Aulakh had last week inspected these under scanner centres and found irregularities under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act 1994.
The licence of a hospital in Jagraon was suspended and the ultrasound sonography machine was sealed until further notice under Section 20(3) of the PC-PNDT Act.
The facility was inspected on March 18 and it was found that with a licence for echocardiography only, the scanner was used for pelvic scans. There was no OPD record found for the said patient.
Another similar facility in Raikot, inspected on March 19, was found to be running without maintaining a proper record of patients under the Act and also not have the form F filled, which contains patient details, the indication of the test, the patient’s declaration that she doesn’t want to know the sex of the fetus, doctor’s declaration that she has not determined/conveyed the sex of the foetus. The ultrasound machine here was also sealed under Section 20(3) of the Act.
While the machines remain at the respective facilities, the authorities there have warned against fiddling with them.
During an inspection at the ultrasound facility at a hospital in Machhiwara, it was found that the in-charge doctor was out of the country without informing the medical authority concerned about the ultrasound room keys with the staff. The machines were sealed and the licence was cancelled under Section 17(4) of the Act.
Another hospital in Machhiwara was found indulging in shady practices. Some forms were found cancelled during the inspection. The hospital was issued a show-cause notice and asked to furnish a response within two days.
A centre in Jagraon, which had a licence for echocardiography and was doing abdominal scans, was also served a show-cause notice and asked to respond in three days.
Confirming the actions, Dr Aulakh said these were taken to ensure strict enforcement of the PC-PNDT Act.
