Punjab to put ultrasound centres under surveillance

Chandigarh: With the sex ratio in Punjab in dismal figures, the state’s Health Department announced on Monday that all ultrasound centres across the state would be put under surveillence. “891 girls per 1,000 boys as per civil registration system in January 2017 is matter of serious concern,” Punjab Health Minister Brahm Mohindra said here in a statement.
“The Punjab government has framed a comprehensive policy to check the lower count of girl child born per 1,000 boys’ births by ensuring the proper implementation of total ban on the pre-diagnostic tests.
“The Health Department has issued set of strict instructions by which all the ultra-sound centres would put under 24×7 online surveillance while the police verification of doctors and other staff posted at such centres has been made mandatory,” he said, regretting that the sex ratio of the state could not improved as per the set targets.
“The Punjab government has considered the ever decreasing sex ratio a serious blot on the face of the state,” said Mohindra.
“Instructions to all and sundry in health paraphernalia of the state have been issued making it categorically clear that, henceforth, any iota of laxity in any reported case of female foeticide and in pre diagnostic tests would be considered as criminal conspiracy on the part of the erring,” the minister said, adding that the officials found indulging in such inhuman crimes against humanity would be severely dealt with. He said that despite announcing rewards in the past, health officials were hardly getting information about illegal sex determination tests by ultrasound centres. (IANS)