HYDERABAD: Stethoscope-wielding gynaecologists, who perform deliveries and conduct pregnancy examination tests, will be part of the teams which inspect diagnostic centres for any violation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Act (PCPNDT) and sex-determination tests at the centres.
There are around 3,200 diagnostic centres in Telangana and more than 2,000 of them are located in Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal districts. While the District Appropriate Authorities (DAA) are appointed to all the districts, there are only a few members in the State PCPNDT Cell who are not able to participate in all the raids or regular checks across the state.
To overcome this problem, around 40 gynaecologists are drawn from the Modern Government Maternity Hospital, Petlaburj and the Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad. They will accompany the DAAs.
To avoid conflict of interest or to avoid specialists from taking undue advantage of the authority they wield, officials will rely on a software which selects names of specialists on the day raids are slated to be conducted.
The gynaecologists attended two-day-long training sessions earlier this week where they were taught the rules and regulations under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Techniques Act. In a few weeks’ time, they will become part of the teams which conduct the checks at diagnostic centres.
“Since they are specialists having knowledge about the tests that are conducted and rules that have to be followed by diagnostic centres, they were roped in to be part of inspection teams. Besides,they will be given a check-list of things they have to look out for.