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Malegaon:
Radiologists of Malegaon say pre-natal sex determination tests
have never been an option for them. For, compared to the
population and area of the city, number of sonography centres in
Malegaon is far less than the actual requirement. Due to which the
daily patient turnover they get is enough to keep them going.
It
is perhaps why the local authorities at the time when the entire
country is keeping an extra vigil on sonography centres, barring
routine assessment of the patient records, have not done anything
extraordinary for creating awareness against the illegal test.
This, however, doesn’t mean that all is well in this Muslim
dominated city in North Maharashtra. A well informed source
revealed to ummid.com that taking advantage of the lenient
approach of the local authorities few diagnostic centres in
Malegaon are violating the Pre-Conception & Pre-Natal Diagnostic
Technologies (PC-PNDT) Act and are conducting sex determination
tests on regular basis.
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Malegaon in
numbers
(as per 2011
Census) |
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Total
Population: 4, 71,006
Male Population: 239,243
Female Population: 231,763
Children (0-6): 74,494
Sex Ratio: 1000:971
Registered Sonography centres: 28
Gynaecologists: 32 |
“They are charging around 15 to 20 times more than the normal
sonography charges for conducting these tests. Some of these
centres are even offering facilities for abortion in their
clinics”, the source said on the condition of anonymity.
“In fact about a month ago, a patient went for abortion after she
was conducted upon the sex determination test at a local
sonography centre. The surgery unfortunately resulted in
incomplete abortion. When the patient went home she found the
foetus hanging out. The patient was rushed to other hospital where
the surgery was done again”, the source recalled.
According to the source, the patient had opted for abortion since
she was already having two daughters and was not willing to have
any more girl-child. In a tragic turn of event, after the second
surgery it was found that the radiologist had in fact made a
mistake and the patient was actually carrying a male foetus. The
matter reportedly resulted in a big issue and it was settled only
after the radiologist reportedly paid a huge amount to the kin of
the patient.
This is not just one incident. The doctors ummid.com spoke to
reveal that after the alert against the illegal test sounded in
other cities, they are receiving frequent calls from neighbouring
places like Pimpalgaon, Niphad and Manmad enquiring if they could get the tests done in Malegaon. A
radiologist admits that he finds at least one patient every day
coming to his centre to enquire about the sex determination test.
“They may be pranks or dummy patients sent to check if we are
doing these tests. But I do meet at least one patient every day
who come and ask about the sex determination test”, the
radiologist said.
When ummid.com spoke to the concerned officer in the health
department, he looked quite satisfied though could not give a
guarantee that the illegal tests were not being conducted in
Malegaon.
“We are regularly keeping track of all the records received from
the sonography centres. It is perhaps why Malegaon has a
satisfactory sex ratio. Yet it can’t be said for sure that the
illegal tests are not being conducted here”, Dr. Bharat Wagh,
Health Officer of Malegaon said backing his claim with the
statistics that show Malegaon has a male female sex ratio of
1000:971 – as against National average of 1000:914 and the state
average of 1000:883.
Dr Wagh also attributed the better
sex ratio in Malegaon to the vast majority of Muslims, who the
doctor said, are not much concerned about the sex of the child.
Some of the main reasons for the
declining sex ratio, the doctor said, are the dowry given at the
time of marriages and the belief in some religions because of
which many still consider a girl-child as inauspicious.
Dr Wagh however was totally tight-lipped on outsiders coming to
Malegaon for conducting the illegal tests. But the local doctors feel that in view of the tight vigil in the neighbouring cities,
if the local administration doesn’t take precautions Malegaon
faces the danger of becoming a safe-haven for the people doing the
illegal sex determination tests.
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