A COMMITTEE under the Prevention of Neonatal Death Act suspended on Friday licences of the ultrasound diagnostic centres of Nova Hospital, Eram Medical Institute and Advanced Diagnostic Centre.
The committee took this decision in a meeting and resolved to take immediate action on complains of the sex determination tests. The committee also took a decision to carry out a checking drive of the ultrasound centres. The committee suspended the licences of the three centres following non-compliance with notices it had issued to these centres some times back. The three centres did not comply with the modifications the committee had suggested.
Meanwhile, the committee has granted registration to an ultrasound machine at KGMU’s radiotherapy department. The chief medical officer said a drive would be launched to check the resources and infrastructure of over 1,000 ultrasound centres operating in the city. In the meeting, the CMO Dr KK Singh, Dr Neelam Singh, Raj Laxmi Kakkar, Dr Pushpalata Agarwal, and social activist Bhaiyaji reviewed the drive that had been carried so far. The meeting assessed that the three centres—Nova in Gomti Nagar, Eram on Kursi Road, and Advanced Diagnostic Centre—did not comply with the notice that the CMO had issued to them. Following this the committee took the decision to suspend the licences.
The CMO also said that at present 271 ultrasound machines were registered and most of them were nearing the date of expiry of registration in January, 2007.
Such centres should renew their licences by December 31, it was stated.
{{/usCountry}}Such centres should renew their licences by December 31, it was stated.
{{/usCountry}}The committee informed that owners of any centre found guilty of carrying out sex determination test will face three-year imprisonment and Rs 50,000 penalty on first offence. The second-time offenders will be punished with 5 years in jail and Rs 1 lakh penalty.