Hospitals defend themselves, say PMC has presented 8-year-old data
Hospitals defend themselves, say PMC has presented 8-year-old datau00a0
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The Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) health department has pointed fingers at top-notch hospitals across the city accusing them of not following norms to ensure that identification of girl-child foetus in sonography centres doesn't happen.
In its list of 26 hospitals that include big names like Ruby Hall Clinic, Jehangir hospital and Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital among others, the PMC's health department told corporators that they have taken action against these hospitals for violating various clauses of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique (PCPNDT) Act or in simpler words prohibition of sex determination tests.
Besides the above three hospitals, Poona Hospital,u00a0 and Hardikar Hospital are amongst those named as violators of PCPNDT Act. It may be recalled that a few days ago, corporators across all political parties had created a ruckus in the general body meeting stating that sex determination tests that eventually led to female foeticide were being rampantly conductedu00a0 across city clinics.
They alleged that the PMC's health department was being too soft on such clinics and hospitals. Subsequently, Dr R R Pardeshi, PMC's medical officer had assured the corporators that action was taken in 26 cases and that 12 cases were pending in court and in 14 others the court had ruled in favour of PMC.
When contacted the hospitals had a different story to tell. According to them, the data released by PMC is eight-year-old and only half the information has been released out. "Our case is four-year-old. The PMC withdrew the case the very same year. They didn't catch us doing any sex-selective tests. They booked us because the forms containing the data of pregnant women was in English and not Marathi for which they booked us," said Bomi Bhote, CEO, Ruby Hall Clinic. Dr Dhananjay Kelkar, medical director of Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital, said, "He wasn't aware of any such incident or court case. The civic body hasn't contacted me."
A doctor from Hardikar hospital said that he wasn't aware of the case but was surprised that the list of defaulters included the name of the founder of the hospital who is also a Padmashree award winner. "They probably just wanted to appease the corporators and just quoted any data that was available to them. Sex selection does not happen in prominent hospitals. Maximum violation is regarding the incomplete forms. The small time clinics are the real culprits," he said.
Dr Vaishali Jadhav, assistant health officer, PMC confirmed that the data is not too recent. "It is data from 2002 to 2008. Action taken is mostly regarding half filled forms," she said.
