Why not detect sex of foetus, then protect girl child: Indian Medical Association chief Asokan
New Delhi, Apr 30: A ban on sex determination tests through a law may stop female foeticide but female infanticide will happen, Indian Medical Association chief Dr R V Asokan has said, arguing that a social evil cannot have a medical solution.
In an interaction with PTI editors, Asokan said IMA is working on a document to revamp the existing Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act, which prohibits pre-natal diagnostic techniques for determination of the sex of the foetus and holds doctors accountable. “And one suggestion would be why not detect the sex of the foetus and then protect the girl child," he said.
"For a social evil you cannot have a medical solution. Is it workable or practical? Let us discuss that. What will happen is that if you don't correct the social evil, female foeticide will disappear, female infanticide will happen," he explained.
In Asokan’s view, the PC-PNDT Act is completely warped, short sighted and NGO driven.
"We have a stake in preventing female foeticide but we don’t agree with the methodology PC-PNDT Act has taken. The methodology has caused so much difficulty for doctors," Asokan, who is IMA’s national president, said.
"If there is one law we want to be taken out of the statute that is PC-PNDT. It doesn't deserve its place," he said.
The doctors’ body has been demanding re-envisioning of the PC-PNDT Act for quite some time.
According to Asokan, there are no differences of opinion about saving the girl child. "The common objective is one... presuming all the doctors to be culpable and anti-life is very wrong," he stressed.
The IMA, Asokan added, is aggrieved over certain rules in the act and with doctors being pulled up for technical lapses and incorrect filling of forms.
The regulations that have come up on the matter are very unfair, he said.
For instance, the regulation states that machines cannot even be moved from one room to another room. “Moreover, not filling up ‘Form F’ is considered to be equal to female foeticide,” he elaborated.
Form F under the PC-PNDT Act records the medical history of a pregnant woman and why the ultrasound is being done.
Under the present law, doctors not filling up Form F properly are given the same punishment as someone who does a sex determination test.
"An institution like the Honourable Supreme Court has said if you do not fill up Form F you are committing female foeticide. How is this acceptable?" he asked.
The IMA chief cited an instance from Coimbatore 15 days ago when a gynaecologist was convicted and sentenced for three years for not filling up Form F properly.
"The law is NGO driven, initiated by the Supreme Court of India. There is a layman perspective in the law...
"So we have been having brainstorming sessions and thinking why not detect the sex, detect the female child and then protect that child. It is possible... tag that child, see what happens to her, follow the mother and see that the girl child is delivered normally.”
Asokan lamented the fact that the entire medical profession is in the dock because of a few black sheep.
"Now I want the profession to be out of it. We are not saying that it (sex determination) should be allowed. If this is acceptable you accept it. Otherwise remove those harassment points.”
Asokan said the document they are working on will come up in the central working committee of the IMA and the idea is to “provoke a discussion even in the Supreme Court" if necessary.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
