Karam Prakash
Tribune News Service
Patiala, January 25
With a jump of 25 points, Patiala has topped the state in the sex ratio at birth (SRB). In fact, the sex ratio, average number of girls per 1,000 boys at birth, in the district reached 989 in 2020 from 935 in 2018.
Patiala is followed by SAS Nagar (Mohali) while Barnala is at the third spot with the SRB of 967.
The District Family Welfare Officer, Dr Jatinder Kansal, said measures such as strict enforcement of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, early detection of pregnancy and awareness campaigns had led to the improvement in the SRB figures. Dr Kansal said to keep a check on female foeticide, they conducted raids last year. The team seized a Chinese ultrasound machine and nabbed an ANM for allegedly running a sex-determination racket in Patiala.
He said: “The credit goes to foot soldiers, ASHAs and ANMs, who work day and night. Moreover, they carried out a regular follow up of pregnant women to reduce perinatal mortality.”
The Health Department said they had constituted a district monitoring committee that kept tabs on pregnant women who already had one or two girl children.
Meanwhile, the Patiala Civil Surgeon, Dr Satinder Singh, said the Health Department had shown a lot of improvement in its functioning over the past few years. He said: “Our teams always keep vigil on the ultrasound centres in the district. Moreover, regular raids are being conducted to stop illegal acts.”
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