Report focuses on why girls are fewer

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 24

A report on factors leading to declining sex ratio, prepared by a coalition of civil society organisations and activists from across the country, was released here today. This was stated by Rizwan, national coordinator of the organisation.

“The presence of political appointees to the State Supervisory Boards (SSB) and District Advisory Committees (DAC) make the functioning of these bodies weak,” said Rizwan.

He said the DAC’s were incomplete in all the districts of the state as they had only three to five members only. The Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) had no role in the selection of NGO’s and members of regulatory bodies.

Rizwan said despite inspections by the State Inspection and Monitoring Committee (SIMC), the National Inspection Monitoring Committee (NIMC) had always sealed the clinics after finding faults.

Dr Surekha Chopra, OSD to Health Safety Regulation Department, said a total of 1,100 inspections had been done in 2013, including 49 by the SIMC and there were 261 registered ultrasound clinics, including 78 in government sector in the state.

Subhash Mendhapurkar, Director, Health Safety Regulation Department, Dr Surekha Chopra, and Dr Anisu Rehman from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare were present during the release of the report.