Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, May 4: With the rise in sex determination tests and illegal abortions in Karnataka, the state health department plans to conduct sting operations on doctors with the help of media houses.

The plan comes in the backdrop of the increasing sex determination tests done by ultrasound scanning centres attached to some errant private hospitals in the state. With this unique step, the government plans to track radiologists and gynaecologists who are involved in the illegal determination of sex and abortion.

Director of state health and family welfare department Dr Prabhakar urged the media houses in the state to help them in the process. He also added that the media houses will be rewarded RS 50,000 for all successful raids.

Doctors however have welcomed the move with contrary opinions. Dr Raviraj, the RMO of Lakeside Medical Centre and Hospital said that doctors should be given a set of guidelines so that they can act accordingly.

Back in 2016, the health department had started a similar initiative and had put out a newspaper advertisement asking women to volunteer for a sting operation but the plan failed as nobody came to forward to volunteer.

Sex determination test was made illegal in India in 1994 under the Pre-conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Technique (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act.