The state government, BMC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have swung into action to stop the foeticide menace in the state.
While the state has decided to form special squads to carry out random checks at medical centres at the local level, the BMC has formed 24 teams to scr-een clinics and sonograph-y centres across the city.
The teams have a list of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and sonography centres in their respective wards. From Thursday onwards, the 24 teams will screen these centres and will be authorised to seal the centres, if they are found violating the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, and file a court case with the help of the local police. There are 1,339 sonography centres in the city. The corporation is hoping to finish the inspection by the end of the month. According to officials, each team will consist of a medical officer, a post-partum specialist, a gynaecologist or paediatrician and a person from an NGO. “Each team has been given a checklist, with guidelines of the PCPNDT Act. At least three members of each team will be going around to survey a few centres each day. If any of them is found to be flouting the Act, they will be taken to task,” added Mr Advani.
The state team will include officers of the revenue and health department, as well as police officers from every district of Maharashtra, chief secretary Jayant Kumar Banthia announced.
FDA inspectors, on the other hand, have already started inspecting wholesalers and retail chemist shops in the city to check for illegal sale of such drugs. Retail chemist shops, which are unable to furnish bills for sale of abortion drugs, will be served a showcause notice by the FDA immediately. “Our inspectors are identifying doctors over-prescribing abortion drugs. List of such doctors will be sent to the appropriate authority,” said P.R. Uttarwar, joint commissioner, FDA.