IIT help sought on ultrasound machines

Dec 11, 2012 - TEENA THACKER |

Age Correspondent

New Delhi

In a bid to keep a tab on misuse of ultrasound machines, the Centre has sought help from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur in providing technical assistance to track these machines.
Sources revealed that the health ministry has asked IIT Kharagpur to submit a research proposal for possible technology intervention in tracking ultra-sound machines. The matter was discussed recently in a meeting where it was decided to take expertise from IIT to keep the misuse of ultrasounds under control.
The step, sources say, has been taken after it was found that the old ultrasound machines are often misused in the hinterland. In India, there is no provision/way to check the misuse of these machines. Experts say that some countries have 3D tracking system installed and tracking numbers on the machines to track their movement.
In India there is no such system. “The experts have been told to study the models used by other countries. The tracking system used by Singapore is very high tech but its worth exploring. The IIT experts have been asked to study the possibility and feasibility of such tracking system so that the misuse can be stopped here as well.”
The health ministry has taken slew of measure recently so as to stop evil procedure of pre natal sex determination. Blaming that cheap Chinese models of ultrasound machines are leading to illegal sex determination, the health ministry has recently also asked the Central Board of Excise and Customs to formulate appropriate guidelines to regulate their proliferation across the country.
According to health ministry officials the influx and easy availability of these China-made ultrasound machines have spurred their widespread misuse. The ministry had even suggested the customs to start inspections of imported machines by field formations of the customs department.
The pre conception and pre natal diagnostic techniques (prohibition of sex selection) Act, 1994, prohibits sex selection in any form and also regulates ultrasound diagnostic procedures by registered centers.

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