Child sex ratio on decline in district

Even as workshops are being held for members of the judiciary to create awareness about the Pre-Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act,health officials feel that special courts should be set up to expedite cases against errant doctors who misuse the ultrasound to determine the sex of the foetus. At present,94 cases are pending against doctors in the state for flouting provisions of the PC-PNDT Act.

Dr S S Ambekar,Assistant Director of the Family Welfare Bureau,said the survey had shown a dip in the girl-boy sex ratio under six years in places like Jalgaon (854 girls/1000 boys) and Ahmednagar (852 girls/1000 boys). Districts like Satara showed a slight increase from the last census done in 2001 where the ratio was 878 girls/1000 boys. The survey in June this year shows that the sex ratio had slightly climbed to 895 girls/1000 boys.

In Kolhapur district,the sex ratio has increased from 839 girls/1000 boys in 2001 to 854 girls/1000 boys,according to the survey. In Sangli too,the sex ratio has increased from 851 girls per 1000 boys in 2001 to 868 girls per 1000 boys.

In the PMC limits,however,officials said hospital-based sex ratio “at birth” shows a slight increase. As against 871 girls per 1000 boys in 2007,there were 876 girls per 1000 boys in 2008 and till September this year it was 896 girls per 1000 boys,says Dr D D Chandakkar,civic deputy health officer.

In the city,out of 26 cases,12 are pending in the district courts against doctors who have flouted the Act either for not registering the ultrasound machine,non-maintenance of medical records or advertising about how to beget a son.

Member of Central Supervisory Board for implementing the PC-PNDT Act,advocate Varsha Deshpande,who has also sent several decoys from her organisation Dalit Vikas Manch to check if the doctors were misusing the ultrasound to determine the sex of the foetus,says state and national advisory committees have not held meetings for over a year on the issue.