Officials of Health and Revenue Department sealed a private scan centre in Tirupattur on Friday, for violation of the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, 2003.
According to Dr Kumar, joint director of health services, Mani’s wife Vanitha (27), a native of Papparapatti village in Dharmapuri district, had undergone a scan in the centre on August 24 last month and the centre had allegedly disclosed the sex of the baby. Vanitha, on coming to know that she was carrying a female foetus, got it aborted with the help of a quack in Dharmapuri.
Following this Vanitha developed complications and she was rushed to the Dharmapuri Government Hospital. An examination by doctors revealed that the uterus and bowel was perforated. They also found that the woman had taken the services of the quack after the scan centre disclosed the sex of the foetus.
Dharmpuri police registered a case against the scan centre and the matter was taken up to the Director of Medical Services (DMS) Chennai, which in turn was forwarded it to Tirupattur sub-collector, the local licencing authority here.
On instructions from the DMS, the centre was sealed in the presence of the Tirupattur sub-collector Shilpa Prabhakar and joint director of health services Kumar on Friday.
Kumar said records and the machine were seized and handed over to police. The owner of scan centre and sonographer are reportedly absconding. Tirupattur police also registered a case against the scan centre.