Campaign Against Sex Selective Abortion (CASSA), a non-government organisation, has disputed the Tamil Nadu government's claim that it has successfully been able to get all the scan centers operating in the state registered under the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibiton and Regulation) (PNDT) Act. It has claimed that there are more than 1500 scan centers operating in the state, which are still to register under the Act.
The Tamil Nadu government had claimed that the Directorate of Medical Service (DMS), the government agency with which the scan centers had to register themselves under the Act, had managed to get all the scan centers operating in the state registered under the Act. In all, it said, there were 1468 scan centers in the state, either attached to a hospital or operating independently, and all of them have registered with the DMS under the Act.
CASSA has disputed the figure released by the government claiming that there were close to 3000 scan centers in the state. "If the figure of 1468 is correct how come the DMS initiated action against 6 scan centers last month for operating without registration. This means if you add this 6 centres to 1468, you arrive at 1474. This points to the fact that there could be chances of more scan centers operating without registration. Then how come the DMS say there were only 1468 centres operating in the state," CASSA asked.
"Over 1500 scan centers still operate in the state without registering themselves. The government has not initiated any proper measures to find out the exact numbers of scan centers operating in the state and the figure of 1468 centres in the state is disputable. We have been informed by our sources that there are over 1500 scan centers still operating illegally in the state," the CASSA source informed Pharmabiz.com.
It is very difficult to comprehend how the Tamil Nadu government reached this figure without proper study. We are worried about this 1500 unregistered scan centers," the source further added.
"As far as the DMS is concerned the figure we have released is correct. We had launched an intensive campaign to identify the scan centers operating in the state and the figure we have got is through this campaign. However, we would certainly look into the claims of CASSA and do the needful," a source in the DMS told Pharmabiz.com, however refraining from dwelling further into how 6 scan centers, against whom actions were initiated, could get out of the total figures released.
Though the original deadline for the scan centers to register themselves with the DMS was December 31, 2001, the government allowed an extension of the deadline till January 15 this year giving scan centers, remaining unregistered till the previous deadline, further time to register themselves by the extended date.
Till December 31, 2001, 1325 centres had registered themselves with the DMS. The month of December witnessed an unprecedented rush wherein over 963 scan centers registered themselves with the DMS. The remaining 143 scan centers registered themselves during the extended deadline period.
Last month, the DMS claimed it had initiated action against 6 scan centers, five in Chennai and one in Dindigul for operating without registering themselves with the DMS under the PNDT Act. The DMS source refused to disclose further proceedings in the case.