The absence of proper budgetary allocation and clear guidelines from the state government for incurring expenses for implementation of the Pre-Conception Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniqueshas put doctors in the PMC in a quandary.
The absence of proper budgetary allocation and clear guidelines from the state government for incurring expenses for implementation of the Pre-Conception Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (prevention of sex selection) (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, has put doctors in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in a quandary.
The Act is used to stop illegal sex determination tests in ultra-sonography centres, which later might be used for selective abortion of the female foetus.
The apparent confusion stems from the fact that, at present, there are no separate government regulations detailing the budgetary allocation for the appropriate authorities.
As per the act the authorities are supposed to undertake public outreach campaigns to raise awareness, and to set up decoys to detect illegalities.
For undertaking such actions, as well as to meet sundry expenses, the state government’s public health department had issued a government regulation (GR) on July 12, 2007, which issued detailed guidelines and set up limits on expenditure also.
However, the GR issued in 2007 was valid for three years only and lapsed in 2010. Subsequently, no new GR has been issued. In absence of clear guidelines, authorities in the state are confused about both the limits of expenditure and the budget heads.
To cite an example, in the GR of 2007, Rs10,000 was allocated as the budget for print and electronic media advertisements for the appropriate authorities. However, since the lapse of the GR, PMC doctors are in a fix on the amount to be spent on such
advertisements.
Dr Suresh Gupta, additional director of health services (family planning & reproductive and child health), Pune, who is also the state appropriate authority, admitted to the lack of any specific GR on the matter.
However, he claimed that the state government had made ad-hoc grants of Rs1 lakh to the various districts for outreach work.
On a separate budget heads for the concerned authorities, Gupta said, “We have given instructions to the appropriate authorities to utilise 50% of the fund collected as means of licence fees from
ultra-sonography centres under their jurisdiction. This would help fund various activities.”
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