A Brief Overview
Prof. (Dr.) Namrata Sharma
Professor of Ophthalmology
Cornea, Cataract and Refractive Surgery
Dr. R.P. Centre of Ophthalmic Sciences,
AIIMS, New Delhi
The Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostics Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Determination) Act 2003, is an act to safeguard the girl child. The Act was enacted in 1994, amended and effectively implemented in 2003 and strictly amended in 2011.
Based on this act, absolute stringent action is being taken against all the erring radiologists/sonologists/ gynaecologists who are not abiding by this act. Recently, there have been notices given to ophthalmologists who were using ultrasound equipment such as biomicroscope, A-scan and B-scan and did not have PC-PNDT registration.
The few basic requirements of the Act are:
1. Registration under Section (18) of the PC-PNDT Act.
2. Written consent of the pregnant woman and prohibition of communicating the sex of fetus under Section 5 of the Act.
3. Maintenance of records as provided under Section 29 of the Act.
4. Creating awareness among the public at large by placing the board of prohibition on sex determination.
As seen above, the act does not seem to do anything with ophthalmology but since there is a theoretical possibility that the ultrasounds used in ophthalmology diagnostics may be able to visualise a fetus after modifying the probe, a notice was served to many eye centres. The central supervisory committee had sent notices to all state and UT health departments to ensure a full compliance with PC-PNDT in the first half of 2018.
Previously too, ophthalmologists had managed to escape PC-PNDT registration following intervention from IMA and other bodies in the years 2015 and 2016 but after the central supervisory committee decision, the issue is afresh again.
Currently, while sporadic stay orders have been achieved by a few doctors on the registration, AIOS is trying to represent the entire ophthalmic fraternity and present the realistic scenario of use of these equipment to the courts. This should help ophthalmologists to continue to use ultrasound in diagnostics without the worry about compliance with PC PNDT.