JOIN USThe Health Department sealed six ultrasound machines at a private hospital here after a doctor was found involved in illegal sex determination and divulging it to a patient during a decoy operation.
The department conducted a decoy operation at MGS Superspeciality Hospital in Punjabi Bagh where the radiologist was found operating in connivance with a tout.
The woman who underwent the ultrasonography was 12 weeks pregnant and was charged Rs 11,000 for the procedure.
The doctor held is a repeat offender and was already under the department’s scanner. Another doctor was involved in the case who drew circles on the patient’s hand so that she could be easily “identified” once she reached the hospital.
“Dr A S Chauhan who was found guilty of indulging in illegal sex determination on Monday was caught in an earlier case too in which the raiding team had recovered an ultrasound machine from his residence. He was later released on bail,” said Dr Shalley Kamra, State Programme Officer, Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, state health department.
The department will suspend the PNDT registration of the hospital on Tuesday and issue a showcause notice till it provides further clarification. The health department handed over the radiologist and tout to the police on the basis of evidence gathered on the spot.
The raiding team also found other discrepancies like no form was filled by the patient – a rule before every ultrasound is conducted. “This is in contravention to the PC & PNDT Act. However, we do not think there is any involvement of the (hospital) management in this case. This seems to be independently carried out by the doctor who came under the department’s scanner earlier as well,” said Dr Satyajit Kumar, nodal officer, PNDT department, Punjabi Bagh.
The operation was jointly conducted by the state health department and its Haryana counterpart. The decoy patient was from Bahadurgarh in Haryana.
“The decoy patient contacted a tout. We followed them on the route. The tout met another doctor midway and paid her Rs 10,000 of the total money received from the patient. The doctor drew four circles on the patient’s hand so that she could be identified once she is taken to the MGS Superspeciality Hospital.
“The woman was asked to show her hand during the procedure. Soon, the radiologist who flouted other norms as well, told her there was positive news and that she would have a baby boy. The team handed over the doctor and the tout to the police on the basis of this,” Rakesh Dahiya, senior drugs control officer, Rohtak zone.