Doc conducts gender tests, his licence is taken away

Ritwika Mitra, Feb 20, 2016, NEW DELHI: DHNS:

The Delhi Medical Council suspended a doctor from practising medicine after he was found involved in illegal sex determination during a decoy operation conducted by the Delhi Health Department.

Dr A S Chauhan, a radiologist at MGS Super speciality Hospital in Punjabi Bagh, was found to be in connivance with a tout in and disclosing the sex of an unborn child to a 12-week pregnant woman. The health department had also recovered ultrasound machine from the doctor’s residence during an earlier raid. The doctor was later released on bail.

“The licence of Dr Chauhan has been suspended with immediate effect given the sensitive nature of the case. This means the doctor is barred from practising till further notice. The Delhi government had forwarded the report of the operation to us. The doctor was found guilty in an earlier case too. An FIR has already been registered against the doctor. Further investigation is pending now,” said Dr Girish Tyagi, Registrar, Delhi Medical Council (DMC).

The Health Department has also suspended the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques registration of the private hospital and issued show cause notice seeking response on why its registration should not be cancelled. The hospital will not be able to conduct any ultrasonography tests now. The department has also sealed six machines at the hospital.

“Recovery of ultrasound machine from his house in the earlier case meant the machine was unregistered. This is an offence under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act,” said Dr Shalley Kamra, State Programme Officer, PC & PNDT Act, state health department. An unregistered machine hints at illegal sex determination.

Deccan Herald had reported last week on Dr Chauhan being caught red-handed when a raiding team conducted a decoy operation at the private hospital. The pregnant woman was charged Rs 11,000 for an ultrasonography at hospital. Another doctor involved in the case had drawn circles on the woman’s hand before she went to the hospital so that she could be “easily identified”. The radiologist then told the woman there is “positive news” as she would have a baby boy, according to the raiding team. Dr Chauhan was handed over to the police on the basis of evidence gathered at the spot.