The Directorate of Medical Services (DMS) has identified six scan centers, which have not applied for registration as per the Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act. Though the DMS sources did not reveal the names of the centers, it is understood that five of them are situated in Chennai while the sixth is a scan centre based in Dharmapuri.

"The process of proceeding against the Chennai based centers has already begun with the state consulting the public prosecutor to file complaints under Section 28 of the PNDT Act. The Dharmapuri based centre is already under litigation and therefore has not been included for proceedings presently," sources informed Pharmabiz.com.

This is for the first time the DMS is initiating action against unregistered scan centers after the state government had intimated them to apply to the DMS for registration in August last. The DMS is the implementing authority for the Act in the state.

"We have decided to initiate action against five centers in Chennai to send the message very clear that non compliance to the rules will be taken as a serious offence. Some of these centers claim ignorance of the procedure. However, that excuse is not valid as adequate publicity and awareness campaigns have been conducted," the sourced added.

So far, a total of 1498 centres throughout the state have registered themselves under the Act. The total also includes scan centres attached to hospitals. The rush had been unprecedented in November and December when almost 90 per cent of such centres registered themselves fearing action. It was earlier estimated that there were only about 600 independent scan centres but the number registered has even puzzled the authorities.

It can be recalled, in November 2001, the state had invited people to provide information to officials of the public health department in every district against scan centers carrying out illegal amniocentesis such that actions could be taken against the defaulters. In some cases the expertise of intelligence agencies was used to persuade such centers to register. "We had great success in the districts and our Joint Directors have managed to convince the district centers to register themselves," DMS sources claimed.

Meanwhile, the NGO, Campaign Against Sex Selective Abortion (CASSA), has urged the state government to constantly monitor the activities of these centres. P.Phavalam, Convener of the Association claimed, "We are now pushing for stringent enforcement of the rules".

The state government, in the meanwhile, has also written to all the equipment manufacturers to provide a list of all new orders for equipments in the state. According to official sources, the manufacturers have been given three weeks time to provide the government with the list. The order mandates the equipment manufacturers to list the names of centers who have booked or purchased equipments from September last till Jan 15 of this year besides the type of equipments booked or purchased and the location of the centre.

The written order is in prelude to the legislation that the Tamil Nadu government is shortly to enact making it mandatory for suppliers of scan equipments of all types to register with the Department of Health and Family Welfare. The legislation will become an Act by the end of February this year.

Under the legislation, draft of which is under preparation according to state government sources, suppliers of such equipments will have to submit details of number of such equipments sold in the state and the party to which sale has been made.

Apart from making it mandatory for hospitals and independent scan centers in the state to inform the Department of the purchase, the legislation also makes it mandatory for hospitals and scan centers to keep records of types of scan done so as to eliminate chances of any illegal sex tests.