Scanning centre sealed for indulging in sex determination
Health officials swoop down on Kumar scanning centre after a tip-off from a pregnant woman’s relative
JALANDHAR: District health officials on Monday sealed Kumar Maternity Home and Ultrasound Scanning Centre for conducting a sex determination test and disclosing the result to the preganant woman and her relatives.
Harjinder Kumar, a resident of Upkar Nagar Mohalla, had complained to the health authorities that the centre had promised to conduct the test on Pradeep Kaur (26), wife of Bittu, one of his relatives.
Acting on his tip-off, health officials caught doctor Harjinder Kaur, a gynecologist and the owner of the centre, while conducting the test and then intimating the result to the woman and the relatives.
Officiating civil surgeon Dr RL Bassan said that the complainant was present in the hospital when the health team raided the hospital. The woman was advised by a city-based hospi- tal to go to the centre for sex determination. Officials have not disclosed the centre’s name.
“Dr Kaur conducted the sex determination test and told them that she had a girl child. She revealed this to the woman and the relatives. The woman was already a mother of two girl children and did not want another girl child,” said Bassan.
Kumar said that the staff at the scanning centre had initially demanded Rs 5,000 for the test, a deal was finally struck at Rs 4,000.
The team of health officials also found other glaring irregularities in the functioning of maternity home. The mandatory form F for conducting an ultrasound scan on any patient had not been filled. There was no entry of the patient at the centre’s outpatient department.
Health officials have sealed the scanning centre and seized all relevant records.
The maternity home had been served with a show-cause notice two months ago for alleged deficiencies in operations.
“A show- cause notice has been issued to scanning centre authorities, asking for an explanation within three days, after which a case will be registered against the doctor and the centre,” said Bassan.
Dr Kaur, however, refuted the charges of conducting the sex determination test and said that the incident as a conspiracy against the scanning centre.