These hi-tech devices have been in use in all sonography machines in Kolhapur district since 2010 as a pilot initiative.
The cost factor has put an abrupt halt in the plan to implement Silent Observers (SIOBs) or Active Trackers in sonography machines in districts across the state.
These hi-tech devices have been in use in all sonography machines in Kolhapur district since 2010 as a pilot initiative. Priced at Rs30,000, the device is designed to keep track of all sonography tests being conducted on a machine and thus curb illegal sex determination of the foetus.
But SIOBs have been mired in controversy since the pilot project began. While doctors have opposed implementation of the device since its inception, there is still no consensus on who will actually foot the bill — the state or the owner of the sonography centre. Currently being manufactured by a single company (Magnum Corpus), there have also been allegations of inappropriate costing.
State public health minister Suresh Shetty said, “Until we finalise who will bear the cost, we have kept the decision pending. The monopoly of a single company in the production is also a factor.”
An SIOB, similar to a pen drive, is attached to a sonography machine to record sonography images.
The government introduced it in Kolhapur in all 243 registered sonography machines in March 2010 on an experimental basis to prevent sex determination tests. The district has one of the worst male-to-female birth ratios according to the 2011 census — for every 1,000 boys born in the area, only 845 girls were born.
But the report of a high-level committee headed by Dr PP Doke, which evaluated the effectiveness of SIOBs in March 2011, has stated that the devices are “useless” as they can be easily detached from the sonography machines. Subsequently, Active
Trackers were introduced which enable online monitoring and if detached, an SMS alert is received at the main centre. But the committee delivered an inconclusive report on them.
According to sources, another agency will now be asked to review the effectiveness of Active Trackers.
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