Is there more trouble for the girl child?

Fearing potential misuse, state appeals to Centre to ban portable sonography machines

Is there more trouble for the girl child?

Fearing potential misuse, state appeals to Centre to ban portable sonography machines

Posing a huge threat to the already dismal girl child ratio, the portable sonography machine is rapidly gaining popularity, the State has argued. Last week, authorities wrote to the Central government, demanding a ban on these machines.

The letter states that there is a possibility that these machines will be used to determine the sex of unborn children.

"These small machines which are useful for bedridden patients can be used to conduct ultrasound tests at home. However, they can be easily misused to determine the sex of an unborn child. Therefore, we have written to the centre to call for a ban on the portable machines," said Dr Suresh Gupta, assistant director, Directorate of Health Services.

As per Maharashtra Health Department's consolidated report on portable sonography machines, there are 2,382 compact portable sonography kits available for use.u00a0

"These portable machines are only to be used in clinics. We have asked the state for a blanket ban on these portable machines. Our field workers have strong leads that these machines are being used in residential spaces. It's better to ban them," added Gupta.

However, activists are weary about the state's plan of banning portable machines.

"A blanket ban in general is not effective. What is needed is effective monitoring by authorities. There are around 35,000 machines sold in the state, but only a few thousand have officially been registered. We need to find the machines that have not been registered, because they might be getting misused," said Satara-based advocate Varsha Deshpande, who runs the NGO Lek Ladki.

Dr Jignesh Thakkar, national secretary, Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA), said, "The machines were made portable so that they could easily be taken to patients during emergencies. Portable machines are used for emergency ultrasounds that can save lives at times. Also, the state should not forget that sonography machines are not just used on pregnant women."