They have been given contact numbers of our medical officers and my number. They can either call or SMS, if they hear or have information about doctors helping people with sex determination test.”
Acting on the falling child sex ratio in the city, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s family welfare department has made doctors turn into khabris (informers), who will secretly inform its officers about doctors helping patients with sex determination test.
Dr Asha Advani, special officer, BMC’s family welfare department, said, “We have formed a group of informers that includes gynaecologists practicing in the city. They have been given contact numbers of our medical officers and my number. They can either call or SMS, if they hear or have information about doctors helping people with sex determination test.”
In a few weeks of its formation, the BMC has received many SMSes informing the authorities that the root cause lies in the sex determination tests done by doctors outside the city and state.
“We have got few SMSes from doctors saying people are going to places like Jammu for sex determination tests. Even sonography centres on the outskirts of Mumbai are into sex determination tests. This is the major reason behind the drop in child sex ratio. Since it is out of our limit — we can not do much about it,” said Advani.
The state government has also decided to rein in the declining child sex ratio by forming a network of informers with the help of the local police and encourage citizens to locate/identify sonography centres where illegal sex determination tests and subsequent sex-selective abortions are being carried out.
In 2010, the department seized nine sonography machines used for sex determination in the city. According to the provisional figures of the Census 2011 (between 0-6 years), the child sex ratio in the city had fallen from 922 in 2001 to a dismal 874 in 2011, well below the national average of 914.
Dr Advani further added, “It is very important to change the attitude of people towards the girl child and this will come through education. We are involving our health post people to head this campaign of educating people and changing mindset of people towards the girl child. While the health post staff will be working in the community level, we plan to spread message via posters and other media.”
The department is also planning to organise street plays across the city. “We will be planning workshops, holding street plays across the city. This is the only way out to deal with the dipping child sex ratio,” said Dr Advani.
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