DHARMAPURI: Two persons from Andhra Pradesh were arrested for their alleged involvement in sex determination of foetuses at the Palacode government hospital, while three other suspects are absconding. One of the accused, a health visitor, was terminated on Tuesday.
The arrested were identified as B Clara Menaka Devi (41) and R Pradheep (26), while R Vadivel (41) of Hanumanthapuram near Palacode, health visitor Parimala (35) of Pennagaram, and another person are absconding.
A health department official told TNIE, "Sakunthala, a sanitary worker at Palacode government hospital informed to the hospital’s medical officer Dr C Balasubramaniyam (42) in the first week of November that some miscreants were allegedly using the scan room in the hospital. Balasubramaniyam checked CCTV footage from October 25 to November 11, and found that on October 30, two suspects and three others were illegally using the scan machine to check the sex of the fetuses.
"Balasubramaniyam informed Joint Director of Health Services, Dr Shanthi, in Dharmapuri. Through a decoy operation, Shanthi's team found Pradheep and Vadivel near Hanumanthapuram, but they escaped."
"Further inquiry revealed that Parimala was working at the government hospital for one year and aided the suspects. They charged Rs 15,000 for one scan and all accused shared the amount."
Based on a complaint from Balasubramaniyam at Palacode police station on Sunday, police booked cases against the five accused under sections 49, 323 (3), 334 (2), 115 (2) of the BNS Act and section 23 (1) and 25 of the Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques ( Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act.
Clara Menaka Devi and Pradheep were arrested on Monday night. Sources further told TNIE that Menaka Devi was previously arrested twice this year for sex determination at Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and Tiruvannamalai district.
Dr Balasubramaniyam said, "We have so far identified only Parimala’s role from the hospital, and she was terminated. Other hospital staff will be probed.
Despite TNIE’s attempts, Dr Shanthi did not reply.
Tamil Nadu National Health Mission’s Director Dr A Arun Thamburaj and Joint Director of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act Dr Meenakshi Sundari from the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services said they were unaware of the issue.