The newspaper is the best and probably the only source of up to date information on new decisions made by the government and courts on the matter of PCPNDT. Though I am the chairman of the civic advisory committee, no one probably knows that the committee has to be informed of such things.
I read in the newspaper today that the radiologists lost their case in High Court. Now a portable ultrasound machine cannot be used for its portability. It has to be used only in the hospital where it is registered. A high court bench had passed that order. The activists struggling to curb female feticide were happy. They were pleased that now sonologists would not be able to determine sex of fetus prenatally. There was uproar in the hospital when they heard of it.
“Sir, a portable ultrasonography machine is meant to be taken to patients’ homes or smaller centers where ultrasonography needs to be done urgently. Now very sick patients in such situations will be deprived of sonography facility. Some of them may not be diagnosed adequately and may suffer. Some may even die” one person said.
“The court was told about it. The decision still went against the radiologists” I said.
“I hope relatives of these people who got this decision passed or they themselves need portable ultrasonography some time, and suffer when it is not available” another person said unkindly. I knew it was not unkindness towards the social activists or civic body pleaders or judges. It was due to deep sympathy for the patients.
“We cannot wish ill for anyone” I said mildly.
“But I cannot understand how stopping use of portable ultrasonography will stop prenatal sex determination” said another person. “The sonologist who does prenatal sex determination will continue to do it in the center where his ultrasonography machine is. Patients who want it done will go there and get it done. And the concept seems to imply that prenatal sex determination is done only when the machine is used in multiple places, some of them in really shady places. Does the court not know that it is done in hi-fi, perfectly posh places too?”
“Perhaps not” I said. “Do you know any such centers?”
“No” came the answer. “But I don’t know any shady centers too which do it.”
“Do the activists, pleaders and judges not know that it is the attitude of the patients and relatives which needs to be changed to stop prenatal sex determination?” said a third person.
“Who knows?” I said. “They do not seem to mention it any time. The emphasis seems to be on stopping portable ultrasonography machines being used in multiple centers.”
“I know a few people who have purchased a portable ultrasonography machine, for giving service to nursing homes which do not have workload large enough to justify purchase of a machine of their own. These sonologists do not have a place of their own. Now what will they do to make a living?” asked a fourth person.
“They can start a center of their own” someone said “if they can afford.”
“They will probably commit suicide if they cannot do that, and cannot pay the EMI of the loan they have taken to purchase the machines” said someone. That sounded terrible.
“After all, so far farmers have been committing suicides. Now some sonologists may join the club. What are a few deaths, if we save the female child in the bargain?” said a cynic.
“That may be so if the decision actually prevents prenatal sex determination” said the prophet of death. “What if it fails?”
“Well, then it will be another wrong decision made by people who run the country, and people who decide what is right and what is wrong by law” said the cynic. “In the meantime the activists, civic bosses and government will have convinced the people that great measures have been taken to curb the menace of female feticide.”
“That is the whole purpose of the exercise, is it?” asked someone indignantly.
“Sir, could you not tell the court the truth of the matter?” an optimist asked.
“My bosses would not permit me” I said. “After all, the civic body has initiated the action.”
“So what can we do?”
“We can pray that God puts wisdom in the minds that have erred” I said.
