Officials conduct raid on diagnostic centre in Ganjam

BRAHMAPUR: Following the death of a pregnant woman, who had faced ultrasound for sex determination of her foetus in Escort Diagnostics Centre here, a team of officials led by Deputy Director of Family Welfare Rabindra Kumar Mishra conducted raid on the diagnostics center on Thursday to investigate into the matter and to check up the instruments of the centre.

According to sources, Sujata Maharana, wife of Jagannath Maharana of Kankarada under Patapur police station in the district, died on July 30 after allegedly consuming medicines to abort her child. People from her father-in-law’s house took her to Escort Diagnostics to determine the sex. When they knew that Sujata has a girl child, they instigated her for abortion and she was prescribed to take some medicines to abort the child, but she could not resist the reaction of the medicine and died, said Sujata’s father Sudarshan Maharana of Masihakhali near to Kankarada area.

Sujata had already a daughter and the recent ultrasound report made the people of her father-in-law’s house unhappy and they prescribed medicines to abort her child, alleged Sudarshan. He had lodged a complaint before Patapur police against the people of Sujata’s father-in-law’s house.    

According to the PC and PNDT (Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Amendment Act, 2002, determination of sex of the foetus is violation of the law. Section 18 of the PNDT Act states that no person shall open any genetic counselling centre or genetic laboratory or clinic, including centres having ultrasound or imaging machines or scanners or any other technology capable of undertaking determination of sex of foetus, unless it is duly registered under the Act.