Bihar: 118 ultrasound centres sealed in 6 districts for violations under PNDT Act

As many as 21 of the 97 ultrasound centres inspected were illegal in Bhojpur, 20 in Buxar, 14 in Nalanda, and four in Rohtas out of the 84 diagnostic centres surveyed

As many as 118 ultrasound centres have been sealed and further action initiated against 172 others for violations under the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) [PC&PNDT] Act, 1994, in six districts in Bihar, officials said on Thursday.

Violations were found at 119 ultrasound centres out of the 532 inspected in Patna between May 29 and June 14 (Representative Photo)

“We have sealed 35 ultrasound centres in Bhojpur, 29 in Patna, 20 in Buxar, 18 in Nalanda, 10 in Rohtas and six in Kaimur for different violations under the PC & PNDT Act. We will take more action against diagnostic centres which violate norms,” said Kumar Ravi, Patna’s divisional commissioner, who reviewed the situation with district magistrates (DMs).

Bihar’s declining sex ratio at birth, down from 934 per 1,000 males in National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 (data period 2015-16) to 908 in NFHS-5 (2019-20), pointing to an unholy practice of female foeticide even as the national average improved from 919 to 929 during the same period has led the state government to act tough against diagnostic centres indulging in pre-birth sex determination, officials said.

Violations were found at 119 ultrasound centres out of the 532 inspected in Patna between May 29 and June 14, said Patna district magistrate Chandra Shekhar Singh, who participated in Thursday’s review meeting with the Patna divisional commissioner.

“We have sealed 29 ultrasound centres so far and initiated action against 90 others under different provisions of the PC & PNDT Act. More action will follow against centres violating norms,” said Singh.

Further, action had been taken against diagnostic centres, which were operating without a registration licence or on expired licenses, while some did not have doctors in them at the time of inspection, Singh added.

Some ultrasound centres had even shifted to other locations without any intimation, and many were closed at the time of inspection while many did not have proper documentation, officials said.

According to the officials privy to the meeting, inspection teams, comprising magistrates, medical officers and police personnel surveyed and identified 21 of the 97 ultrasound centres illegal in Bhojpur, 20 in Buxar, 14 in Nalanda, and four in Rohtas out of the 84 diagnostic centres surveyed.

Buxar, Bhojpur and Patna had registered negative growth in sex ratio at birth during the two NFHS surveys. Buxar’s sex ratio was down from 962 to 886, while Bhojpur was down from 885 to 872, as these two districts of Patna division were among the 19 out of Bihar’s 38 districts having perceptible differences in the sex ratio during the two NFHS surveys.

Some districts like Muzaffarpur showed an alarming decline in the sex ratio at birth from 930 females per 1,000 males in NFHS-4 to 685 in NFHS-5, a whopping difference of 245.

Saran’s was second worst with 779 female children in NFHS-5 as compared to 976 in NFHS-4, a difference of -197. Darbhanga had 812 female children (NFHS-5) as compared to 982 (NFHS-4), Samastipur 890 as compared to 1,049, and Madhubani 954 as compared to 805 during the same period, as per government data.

Interestingly, Haryana, infamous for female foeticide, had shown an improvement in sex ratio from 836 to 893 during NFHS-4 and NFHS-5, respectively.

State capital Patna was better even as it registered a drop in female childbirth from 1,017 in NFHS-4 to 1,002 in NFHS-5, as per data.

Earlier last month, Bihar chief secretary Amir Subhani addressed district magistrates of the 19 districts having significant differences in sex ratio during the two NFHS surveys, after Bihar slid from 14th to 25th position among 36 Indian states and union territories in child sex ratio during the two surveys.

In his address, Subhani had stressed the need to sensitise women through health and social workers, besides taking action against illegal diagnostic centres.

The Bihar government had last month made district magistrates accountable for granting licences and keeping tabs on the operation of ultrasound centres. Previously, civil surgeons were its appropriate authority.