The Centre for Equiry into Health and Allied Themes (Cehat), the NGO crusading against female foeticide and infanticide which filed a public interest litigation two years back demanding stronger legislation to curb female foeticide, has not given up yet.
Even after the subsequent implementation of the pre-natal diagnostic techniques (regulation and prevention of misuse) amendment act, 2002, having come into force since February 2003, Cehat is doing its own bit to identify all those who illegally carry out sex determination tests.

After bringing to the notice the advertisement put up on infertility specialist Dr Aniruddha Malpani's website on sex selection to the appropriate authority in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, it is now tackling a pharmacy company, Sandhya Pharma, Indore, advertising about its Genowonderkit on the Internet.

Says advocate Kamayani Bali-Mahabal, Health and Human Rights Program, Cehat, "Section 22 of the Act states that no person, organisation, genetic counseling centre, genetic laboratory or genetic clinic including clinic, laboratory or centre having ultrasound machine or imaging machine or scanner or any other technology capable of undertaking determination of sex of the foetus or sex selection shall issue, publish, distribute, communicate or cause to be issued, published, distributed or communicated any advertisement, in any form, including internet, regarding facilities of pre-natal determination of sex or sex selection before conception available at such Centre, Laboratory, Clinic or at any other place."

Cehat contacted Sandhya Pharma, registered in Mumbai and having its office in Indore. "After making enquiries we came to know that the company is selling the Genowonderkit and sells it to about 6-7 patients in a month," says Kamayani.

The kit is used for two types of treatments. The first is a one-and-a-half month treatment for women between the age of 24-25 who are recently married and want a son. This treatment costs Rs 2,450 plus Rs 380 which involves one original and two supplementary kits. The other treatment costs Rs 6,520, for women who had about 2-3 abortions and are over 30 years of age. This treatment includes two original kits and one supplementary kit.

According to the company, the kit is 100 per cent fool-proof and maximum clients approaching them wanted to have sons. Cehat also found that many doctors were involved with the company, but the main person was Dr Girish Mehta.

The Web page says, "Gender Selection is Reality. An ayurvedic medicine tried tested and approved for more than 10 years."

Cehat has appealed to the ministry of health and family welfare to take appropriate action.


Appeared in Express Health Management News Bureau, Mumbai on July 10th 2003 also in Hospital Review, October 15, 2003