Pune: A public health official has written to the state government underlining the urgent need to regulate advanced ultrasound technologies that can make illegal sex determination easier and difficult to detect. The March 9 letter follows a recent case detection in Shirur tehsil of Pune district, where a doctor’s aide was arrested for allegedly running a sex determination racket using a mobile phone–based ultrasound device.
Maharashtra minister for women and child development Aditi Tatkare raised the issue in the state assembly on March 9 terming the incident “shocking” and said such emerging devices should be brought under the ambit of law.
According to officials, the case came to light after the Pune police conducted a decoy operation on March 4 following a tip-off about illegal sex determination tests being conducted at a private clinic in Shirur taluka. In the letter to the deputy director of health services, Pune circle, district civil surgeon Dr Nagnath Yempalle stated the need to regulate such devices for effective implementation of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act.
Yempalle said the probe machine was linked to a mobile application through Wi-Fi, and the foetus was being examined on the phone screen.
The health officials have recommended stricter regulation of mobile applications and portable ultrasound devices that can be misused for sex determination. A senior official involved in PCPNDT enforcement said authorities should consider measures such as monitoring online sale of ultrasound probes, regulating medical imaging apps, and strengthening field inspections.
{{/usCountry}}The health officials have recommended stricter regulation of mobile applications and portable ultrasound devices that can be misused for sex determination. A senior official involved in PCPNDT enforcement said authorities should consider measures such as monitoring online sale of ultrasound probes, regulating medical imaging apps, and strengthening field inspections.
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