Only 103 Ultrasound Clinics are registered in Manipur under PNDT Act
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Okendro Khundongbam

Imphal, October 31 2015 : A total of 103 Ultrasound clinics have been registered up to September 2015, in Manipur under "The Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, (PNDT Act) 1994 though the Indian Parliament had passed the Act in September 20, 1994, according to a reliable source.

It may be mentioned that the Act came into force from January 1, 1996 and after Amendment in 2003, PNDT Act is now known as "Pre conception and Pre natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of sex selection), PC&PNDT Act, 1994 which also covers the pre conception period and preventing sex selection.

According to the Act, any Government Hospital or Private Clinic should get registered to the Family Welfare Department under the PNDT Act before installing any medical technologies such as Ultrasound, MRI or CT Scan and should be renewed every five years.

A fine of Rs 50,000 or imprisonment up to five years or shutting down the hospital or clinic can be penalized if the authorities fail to do so.

Though the main objective of the PNDT Act was elimination of gender discrimination and improvement of status of women by preventing sex selective abortion to increase child sex ratio and sex ratio of birth, the Act was implemented in Manipur with statutory bodies since 2003.Only 103 Ultrasound clinics are registered in the State under the Act and surprisingly only 88 are functional.

Out of the 103, 11 are Government Hospitals while the remaining 92 being Private Clinics.

The number increased from 43 in December 2011 to 103 in September 2015 .

Many Ultrasound machines have been using in Government Hospitals including District Hospitals, Sub-District Hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHC), Primary Health Centres (PHC) but surprisingly only 11 of them are registered.

While speaking on the issue, PC&PNDT Act, State Nodal Officer said to Hueiyen Lanpao that it is more important to give awareness to gynecologists, radiologists and sinologists and other doctors instead of simply getting registered.

Since the Act was implemented in Manipur in 2003, sex selective abortion has been diminished.

Though Imphal West has the highest number of ultrasound clinic/hospital (53), the sex ratio at birth in the year 2014-15 is 1057 (girl is more than boys) which is satisfactory, said the officer and added Senapati District has been included in the list of gender critical district.

If the general public especially mothers, parents, in-laws and relatives stop inquiring the doctors to determine the sex of their foetus, then the Act will be successful in the State.

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