Chinchwad hospital may be first govt-run facility to face action for flouting law since crackdown aimed at female foeticide prevention began month ago

Probably for the first time since the crackdown on sonography clinics began more than a month ago, a sonography machine in a hospital run by the government authorities has been sealed. The action was taken about a week ago, after an inspection by a team of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation found certain documents and forms that need to be maintained under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Actu00a0-- the law that prohibits female foeticideu00a0-- were not in place at Chinchwad's Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital. ESIC hospitals are owned and run by the government.


Paperwork problem: The PCPNDT Act requires sonography facilities
to get pregnant women to fill Form F with all required details, but the
ESIC hospital was not maintaining these records properly Representation
pic

Dr Suresh Gupta, additional director, Family Welfare Department, confirmed the action. "Yes, it is true we have sealed the ESIC hospital sonography machine. It doesn't matter if it's a government-run hospital as the law is applicable to all. We found they had not been maintaining Form F properly. Pregnant women are asked to fill the form before sonography. It has all their information and can help us later," said Gupta.