Scan centres now under the scanner

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Kochi: In the wake of growing imbalance in the sex ratio in Ernakulam, the district level advisory committee formed to monitor scan centres and to enforce Prenatal Diagnostic Technique (PNDT) Act, 1994, is planning to launch an extensive campaign to save girl children.
Effective steps will be taken to maintain a healthy sex ratio, as the earlier campaigns launched by National Rural Health Mission and the health department could not help in improving the birth rate of girl children. As per the health department’s statistics, Ernakulam has the highest number of medical scanning centres (233).
In a recent state-level training programme for members of district- level advisory committees, it was decided to launch intensive inspection of scan centres and no registered centre would be allowed to function. 
As per PNDT Act, sex determination of foetus is allowed only in specific situations such as anomalies in chromosome, problems in genes and complexities in delivery.
One of the major reasons cited for the decrease in the girl population are female foeticide. Though abortion is allowed only in those hospitals accredited by the District Medical Officer, several private hospitals do it illegally.
“The decrease in the birth rate of girl children is upsetting. Though the state is in a much better position when compared to other states like Punjab and Haryana, the issue of decline in the birth rate of girl children needs immediate intervention,” said Dr. K.V Beena, district manager of National Rural Health Mission.
As per 2011 census, the state has a sex ratio of 959 females to 1000 males, in the 0-6 year child population, while in Ernakulam it is 954 for 1000. In the 2001 census too, the child sex ratio was the same in the district.
However, disagreeing with the reports, Dr. Vijayalakshmi G Pillai, a noted city-based gynaecologist said, “As per my information, no hospital in the city is performing female foeticide in violation of the PNDT Act.