As many as 46 scanning centres in the district have come under the scanner for operating without the approval of the Health Department. The Health Department has short-listed 46 such centres of which some are operating along with private hospitals, violating norms under Preconception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Act 1994.
According to P K Sajeevan, District Prosecutor and Public Pleader, the scanning centres are yet to register their respective centres with the Health Department. “When any medical organisation purchases scanning machines or sets up scanning centres, they have to be registered with the Health Department. Moreover, the registration has to be renewed each year. This is being done to curb female foeticide and prenatal diagnostic technique for sex selective abortion,” he said.
“The mobile scanning centres require a separate registration. The cost for the initial registration is around `10,000 and almost the same amount has to be remitted to the Health Department for the renewal of registration each year. However, we have received information that some scanning centres and hospitals are violating norms. Some are operating in the rural parts of the district where checking is hardly done,” he said.
A team consisting of district public prosecutor and officials of the Health Department conducted a raid at a hospital a few days ago and found that it was not registered as per the norms. On finding that they were operating illegally, the scanning machine was seized. The hospital on Friday paid a fine of `35,000 to retrieve the machine.
As per the data of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Kerala is one of the worst states where least action is taken under Preconception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Act. At the national level, 1,297 violators were prosecuted under the Act till January 2013 after the Act was passed in 1994. But not a single case has been taken up under the Act at the state-level up to January this year. This is in contrast to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka where 77 and 45 cases respectively were taken up under the Act.
According to officials of the Health Department, several districts do not even have a complete list of the total number of such diagnostic clinics in their respective regions.
When any medical organisation purchases scanning machines or sets up scanning centres, they have to be registered with the Health Department
The mobile scanning
centres require separate registration
Kerala is one of the worst states where least action is taken under Preconception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Act
At the national level, 1,297 violaters were prosecuted under the Act till January 2013 after the Act was passed in 1994
In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, 77 and 45 cases respectively were taken up under the Act.