NAGPUR: Following complaints of misbehaviour from senior doctors
against officials during inspection of sonography clinics, the civil
surgeon office and the Nagpur Municipal Corporation
(NMC) on Thursday jointly organized a district-level workshop on Pre
Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act for their
doctors and tehsildars.

Participants were not only given
technical details about sonography centres and inspection procedures but
also given talk on behavioural aspects. Collector Saurabh Rao and civil
surgeon Dr VD Badhe addressed their subordinates at the workshop. Legal
counsellor of the civil surgeon office, Amita Khobragade, spoke about
the legal aspects of the act while gynaecologist Dr Warsha Dhawale
presented the doctors’ side.

“The civic authorities, including
officials from the health department of Zilla Parishad, NMC and others
are trying to perform their duties. We are noticing that people who
indulged in illegal sex determination are now scared of doing so,” said
Rao. While expressing satisfaction on this positive change, he also
pointed out people too need to change their mindset. “In the third phase
of the inspections, the NMC and the Zilla Parishad will be
cross-checking centres in each other’s jurisdiction,” he added.

Assistant resident medical officer with civil surgeon office, Dr
Ravindra Ingole, said special sessions were held for officials on
behaviour and communication during inspections. “We were informed that
many senior doctors from the city were offended by the language of some
of our officials. While we would want to apologize for whatever happened
in the past, we wish to assure the doctors that no such thing will
happen in the future,” he said.