New Delhi, June 26: In a bid to curb female foeticide, government has restricted medical practitioners from conducting ultrasonography test to a maximum of two imaging centres within a district and increased the fee for setting up a new clinic.
 There was earlier no such restriction on medical practitioners conducting the utrasound tests so far, but government had restricted their practice within a district.
 The restrictions have now come into force with the publication of a notification by the Union Health Ministry amending the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of sex selection) Rules, 1996.
 "Each medical practitioner qualified under the Act to conduct ultrasonography in a genetic clinic/ultrasound clinic/imaging centre shall be permitted to be registered with a maximum of two such clinics/centres within a district. The consulting hours for such medical practitioner shall be clearly specified by each clinic/centre," the notification states.
 In further amendment to the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of sex selection) Rules, 1996 under the PNDT Act, the application fee for a genetic counselling centre, genetic laboratory, genetic clinic, ultrasound imaging centre has been raised from Rs 3,000 to Rs 25,000.
 The fee has been raised from Rs 4,000 to Rs 35,000 in cases where an institute, hospital, nursing home, or any place jointly provide the service of a genetic counselling centre, genetic laboratory and genetic clinic, ultrasound clinic or imaging centre.
 The government has also amended the PNDT Rules to make it mandatory on the part of every genetic counselling centre, genetic laboratory, genetic clinic, ultrasound clinic and imaging centre to intimate every change of employee, place, address and equipment installed, to the appropriate authority at least 30 days in advance of the expected date of such a change and seek a re-issuance of certificate of registration from the authority with incorporated changes.
 Earlier they were to inform the authority within a period of thirty days of such a change.
 Sources said that the amendments in the Rules have been forced due to rampant malpractices in the clinics which is continuing to affect the sex ratio in the country.
 Welcoming the move, Ranjana Kumari, Director of Centre for Social Research, who has been working in the field said the move will help stop mobility of ultrasound machines and stop quacks from conducting such tests.
 "It is a step in the right direction. This is a necessary step," she told PTI, adding that it will restrict the easy availability of ultrasound machines and professionals handling them.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST