Radiologist at district hospital in Ramanagar suspended over ‘sex determination test’

Bengaluru: The radiologist of the district government hospital in Ramanagar has been suspended after an investigation revealed that the doctor conducted sex determination tests for pregnant women. 

The radiologist, identified as Dr Shashi S L, conducted a sex determination test on Harshitha, a 26-year old mother of two girls and wife of Chennakeshava, a resident of Bengaluru. 

Harshitha got in touch with the radiologist through a relative named Lakshmi, via a woman named Sharada, who helped forge ‘screening deals’. With Sharada’s help, Harshitha was taken to the hospital at 2 pm on August 23 as a normal patient.

The doctor checked Harshitha and her scanning reports and informed her that the child and she were doing well.

Later, Sharada’s husband took Rs 19,000 from Lakshmi and informed them it was a girl child. He came to know about this from Dr Shashi.

Harshitha, at the time of the test, was four to five months pregnant. When she found out that she was having another girl child, she visited Danish Polyclinic in Bapuji Nagar in Bengaluru, to get the foetus aborted with another relative named Bhagya.

The doctors in the clinic prescribed abortion pills. After consuming the pills, Harshitha started bleeding profusely and it did not stop.

She was taken to the Banashankari government hospital. From there, the woman was sent to Vani Vilas Hospital due to the complications, where the incident came to light.

The doctors at the obstetrics and gynaecology department at Vani Vilas Hospital found the case to be suspicious and conducted an internal investigation.  During the investigation, it was found that two other women, Shivaranjini, 16 weeks pregnant, and Ashiya Banu, nine weeks pregnant, had also undergone abortions. 

In the initial investigation, it was clear that Harshitha underwent abortion due to sex determination. Further probe is underway. Dr Shashi was suspended to avoid any kind of tampering with evidence.