Shamli Hospital Raid: In a disturbing event in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, a female doctor was apprehended by a joint team of Haryana's health department and Uttar Pradesh police for performing unlawful gender tests at a hospital. Acting on a tip, the team raided the Maa Savitri Hospital on Budhana Road, where Dr Neelam Shukla, a BAMS graduate, was doing unlawful fetal sex determination tests.
The raid started when a lady was sent to Dr Shukla's clinic pretending to be a patient. Once the scan was completed, the doctor told the woman she was expecting a female kid and charged her Rs 30,000. At the time of the raid, Dr Shukla, a young man, and a woman were discovered in the hospital's basement. On the spot, all three were taken into custody.
The raid started when a lady was sent to Dr Shukla's clinic pretending to be a patient. Once the scan was completed, the doctor told the woman she was expecting a female kid and charged her Rs 30,000. At the time of the raid, Dr Shukla, a young man, and a woman were discovered in the hospital's basement. On the spot, all three were taken into custody.
Along with recovering cash from the scene, the health department personnel also confiscated the ultrasound machine. Despite not having a license to conduct such procedures, Dr Shukla was in charge of the hospital's ultrasound centre. A radiology doctor's paperwork had been left at the centre, although the doctor had passed away three months before.
Subsequent inquiries showed that Dr Shukla had been offering illegal abortions for Rs 30,000 and performing gender tests for financial benefit. Two people who were there at the time also had their identities revealed. Dr Shukla and his associates are currently being prosecuted after a formal complaint was submitted to the Sadar Kotwali police station in Shamli.
Dr. Vishwajeet Rathi, the Haryana health department team's nodal officer, revealed that the operation began when a pregnant woman was enticed to Shamli from Gohana, Haryana, by a midwife. The crew followed them and carried out the raid, apprehending Dr Shukla as she was doing the gender test.
This incidence emphasises the continued fight against illicit gender determination methods, which remain a severe problem despite being prohibited by the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act.