Ultrasound machines sealed, tout arrested

Tribune News Service

Ambala, November 21

A team of doctors conducted a raid and sealed three ultrasound machines at JK Ultrasound in Ambala Cantonment for violating the rules of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC PNDT) Act on Tuesday. A woman tout involved in a gender determination test racket was also arrested.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Vinod Gupta, said, “The department got information that Rani, a tout and resident of Defence Colony, Ambala Cantonment, was involved in a sex determination test racket. She was contacted and a deal was struck with her for Rs 25,000. The department sent a decoy customer to Rani, who took her to JK Ultrasound. A team of doctors was following them. However, Rani put a condition before the decoy customer that she would disclose the gender of the fetus later.”

Rani took Rs 20,000 and said that she would take the remaining Rs 5,000 later. The ultrasound was conducted and they came out. Rani again went back to the ultrasound centre alone and later informed the decoy customer that the fetus was a boy. The raiding team caught Rani and recovered Rs 19,000 from her. The team then raided the ultrasound centre but found that the doctor had performed a normal ultrasound and didn’t disclose the gender of the foetus.

The team managed to recover only the fees charged for a normal ultrasound from the centre. Two marked Rs 500 notes were recovered from the centre and the tout was returned Rs 400 after deducting Rs 600 for the ultrasound.

The CMO said, “During investigation it was not established that the doctor performed a gender determination test and only the fees of a normal ultrasound was recovered from the centre. But at the same time, the doctor has been found guilty of not following the rules of the PC PNDT Act. The decoy customer was not carrying any referral slip from a gynaecologist but in order not to let her go, the doctor got a referral slip prepared from a gynaecologist without even sending the patient there. According to the rules, the patient must have a referral slip from a qualified gynaecologist.”

“All three ultrasound machines have been sealed. The tout has been arrested on the charge of cheating. A case under the IPC and the PC PNDT Act has been registered,” he added.