In a bid to check the misuse of ultrasound machines, the Union health ministry has decided to do away with the provision that allows “automatic” registration of ultrasound clinic in case the appropriate authority fails to renew the certificate of registration within 90 days of receiving the application for renewal.
While the certificate of registration is valid for a period of five years since its issuance, as per the existing rules, the registration is deemed to be renewed in case the appropriate authority fails to do so. In the Central Advisory Board meeting of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic techniques (PC&PNDT) Act, slated to happen on Friday, the health ministry has decided to bring forward the issue.
Sources in the health ministry revealed that doing away with this provision will help them have better monitoring and will cut down the misuse of the machines. “We are proposing to remove the provision of automatic approval but to have mandatory inspection before the registration is renewed.”
Headed by Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the meeting is expected to be attended by senior health ministry officials and state health officials.
Also, on the agenda is a mandatory six-month training for the doctors to be able to handle ultrasound machines. The government is proposing to introduce a six-month training from accredited institutes, mainly those medical institutes that have PG courses.
The training, officials in the Union health ministry say, will enable MBBS doctors to acquire general skills primarily for abdomen scans. For the existing doctors, who have been conducting ultrasounds, however the government is making mandatory to undergo a “competency based test” which they will have to undergo during the time of renewal of their registration.