Lightening eve. ବିଜୁଳୀ କନ୍ୟା

Date 27-03-2014               Lightening eve.  ବିଜୁଳୀ କନ୍ୟା        

In memory of the missing numbers of fairer sex.

In the year 2008 in the annual conference of gynaecologists in Delhi,  chief guest, the CM,  Smt Shiela Dixit announced  one lakh fund to girl child at birth to encourage parents.

The driver of the taxi I used for four days there, was a Sikh, Mr Sukhvinder at his approaching forty, who was still a bachelor as I enquired. Why man? His answer was worrisome, touched me and pinched my thinking.

He was not getting a match in Delhi; in straight term he replied there are not enough girls in Delhi. He too had no hope to get one from Punjab. No one in Punjab believed a Sikh taxi driver in Delhi had his own house in a posh area, to come forward to give her daughter`s hand at a distant place.

I did not like to further demoralize him by informing, the situation of Punjab was nothing better.

 He had the information that there was hope to find his bride from Kerala, Hindu or Muslim or Christian anyone was acceptable to him. I learnt, "A desperate person is truly secular".

I never experienced the reality of many seminar discussions of missing girls till I met this forced bachelor. I imagined he was not alone there must be thousands of Sukhvinders longing for the SUKH and company of a female friend from which the society deprived him, particularly gynaecologists.

I felt lucky that I did not wait to this crisis period and instead choose my company long before the first USG machine was brought to Odisha  by Dr Meher and Dr Agrawal of beam diagnostic Cuttack.( I assure my readers, these two gentlemen never did wrong practice, they are mentioned here to be honoured)

Once I asked a lawmaker friend, how the peasant family was able to know who the criminal doctor of a nearby district might do the sex determination but the SP, COLLECTOR OR CDMO were not aware of it.

He replied, law needs a complaint from a person to initiate investigation(not always). Who then should complain when the chief protector father (not the unfortunate mother) was the chief of crime and the person who sold himself to carry out the proceeding was none other than the image of God in common people`s mind? Thy name is Doctor.
Father is God, Doctor is also God but unfortunately partners of crime.

2008/2009 In my work place at Sukinda Jajpur, I asked a lab technician about a patient's well being, who was not seen for last 2 months and whose husband had prior closeness to me. He is a learned man, did several elite discussion on various issues hence I remembered. By that time her pregnancy should have crossed 28 weeks (7 months). They had taken one or two tetanus toxoid vaccine from government facility.

I was shocked to know that pregnancy was a history by that time. Knowing full well I was not the person going to solve his (not their) purpose he went to any other place did a sex determination and it became a lightening eve.

I was extremely disturbed for several days, should I lodge a complaint, Was it good to act on hearsay, this might be wrong how such a social thinker could do it, whether medical ethics allowed me to act on confidential professional information, how to face the aftermath, could it be proved, was I not going to feed the administration and media by throwing a prey for them, as usual all these thought prevailed over my basic conscience as a civilized human being and I remained silent. I was aware of the fact that a doctor might not take the plea of professional secrecy while hiding a crime, but a doctor in no way would investigate a matter for how far it was true, how could he be a police or a detective. These were all excuses for me; reality was, 'there is no proper forum where this can be ventilated'.  

Where they did the crime, might be a clinic named jivandhara or amrit, or life care or even feminine wellbeing anything we imagine, after all the clinical establishment deals with the life divine.

It was possible to expose the crime. 1-They cannot deny pregnancy as it was in my record as well as in the government immunization register, 2-They cannot claim it was a spontaneous miscarries as in such a case at such advanced gestational age they cannot deal it at home and if they claimed so it would not be believed by law, considering their educational status.3-they can never produce a medical certificate as definitely no clinic must have registered its own crime, 4-they cannot claim that it was a defective baby as they have to produce evidence in favor. I was thinking all these angles but our law in this regard is very weak, a nasty joke to the lightening eves and the forced bachelor of Delhi Mr Sukhvinder the taxi driver for whom there is no bride even if he owns a house in a posh area of the capital.  

What joke?

To control bank robbery parliament passes a law like this, 1-Anyone who wished to loot a bank ,private or public sector should first come to the bank, give a pose in front of CCTV camera, 2-Should sign a register, 3-Should give a photo identity card, 4-The bank manager should submit the filled up Form F/R online, 5-He should declare that while doing transaction the visitor was not helped for bank robbery.

 How is this? Is it not a joke? Suppose the bank manager and the robber join hand together what is the status of this law?

Pre Conceptional and Pre Natal Diagnostic Test (PCPNDT) law to control sex determination and sex selective termination of pregnancy even with its 2004 amendment is exactly like that. Any USG clinic or Genetic and related clinic is bound to register before purchase of equipments, this is the only good part of the law. Yes like any other license and registration process in govt machinery, I say it has to be done to keep all such clinics under supervision of law. However I feel that the procedure followed is same as the above bank robbery description. We all follow the law and anyone who comes for genuine work has no problem in abiding it even if it consumes time. But when the party and the doctor have odd reasons they maintain no formality and THY SEES THE FORBIDDEN AND IF AN EVE IS IN, THY DOCTOR`S HAND OF GOD KILLS IT.

Come do it and vanish with no record, is the modus operandi. There is no software to record every new touch of skin of the patient, or retrieve the total scan video without delete. Yes we can and should expose it by sting operation, we doctors are dealing with plenty of human beings and at least for me I can very well guess a sting operation, I shall like one against my clinic to prove me innocent.

Once in a TV debate an administrator was supporting these operation which was opposed by a doctor friend, yes debates should be there for public awareness. That is the only option.

Before suggesting a proper law let me share how I deal with the couple who request me to know the sex. I am happy to say most of my patients are tribes people, and Kudumi Mohantas who have no sex preference, they are nice to both sexes they are far better than so called developed people. When someone insists my reply mostly depends on mood and the person’s level of understanding. Like 1- I am a doctor your family is not mine , the whole country is my family and in it I shall bless you have one which is less in number in the society, 2-Do you want to go to the jail?  Collector sir has installed an online recorder what we are talking is directly heard in his office, 3-See my assisting staff and the other lady in the counter both have 2 daughters each , how do you expect I shall tell you? 4-Harshly tell to the educated one, YOU people are criminals you can kill your own baby then there is every possibility you can kill me tomorrow if you do not like me. And so on.

My suggestion is 180 degree reverse, A-) I think all pregnancies should be registered at confirmation by the birth registrar without waiting delivery, and it should be tracked (the process is now followed for immunization purpose.) All beneficial schemes should be generated after that. B-) anyone who did a late registration should give explanation for the delay and should be looked with suspicion. C-)All pregnancies should undergo a scan at 18 to 20 weeks to know the anomaly AND SEX SHOULD be recorded and notified to the society, this will help to follow what happened next and all event such as a pregancy loss is to be registered. ACTUALLY THIS WILL FORCE THE DOCTOR TO BE MORE SKILLFUL, in a twin pregnancy it has important diagnostic value, in some genetic diseases it is helpful to know the sex, I know many people will come with swords for this radical idea, some may even charge this man wants more income from USG clinic, and  so on. 

We are talking about a crisis not a natural problem, more dangerous than we imagine, it should be tackled like a war situation.

 In a Bhadrak seminar an eminent local doctor shamelessly supported the desperate couple who prefer a male baby to which another replied “What you are talking is sufficient to put you behind bar”.

 Business is of millions and it is a risk to talk against,  a worthy risk to take for yours and mine sons who may not get a bride like the Sukhvinder taxi driver who owns a house in a posh area of Delhi but unable to find a match up to his forty. More importantly for your grand daughters who are not safe with plenty of forced bachelors in the society.       

  conclusion.

 About sex selective termination of pregnancy, many eminent people are sympathetic to the family who does it, they feel it may be a social evil but for a couple when they do not need one , should get permission to do this otherwise an unwanted baby destined to be discriminated if is allowed to arrive. They do not think, not wanting a female who in fact is more welcome itself is a defective mindset needing correction and counseling.

Once an authority inspecting the USG clinic where I work was tried to be impressed by me delivering my views against sex determination etc, he was not at all impressed rather did a debate against it.  How should I counter my boss who can just do a red mark against the clinic.

The same man in next USG workshop countered my appeal to USG owners not to do the crime , my concern was for one who rarely started doing it. Hoped the man present got the message, but again the owner may be innocent and the consulting doctor is the culprit. I am sure my appeal worked. So let people tell whatever they wish, one has to raise the voice.

It is not difficult to know the culprits, mother of a male fetus do not hesitate to reveal the clinic as she feels the charge the clinic took was abnormally high so should be exposed, she also sense a feeling of pride to revel, in her womb grows the scion. The prince in womb in future may be as unfortunate as Sukhvinder of Delhi.

Can I tell the authority what he told is sufficient to put himself behind the bar. It is the mind set not the law that can help.

Once a patient came in a bleeding condition who was advised an abortifacient  to be used at bedtime and report next morning to her doctor, but it acted soon and the fetus expelled to their horror was of their desired sex , The condition of them was such depressing that I had to console them without being angry.  One delivered a female baby but she knew it to be male, that couple was nice and felt God changed the sex afterward. They loved their third daughter. But sometimes these people do not believe the hospital staff and claim their baby is changed and war starts.

The most horrible experience .. Once an educated higher status pregnant mother pointed a particular highly respected doctor determined the sex of her fetus on enough payment. I never believed such a strong feminist, sensitive literary person could do it.

  I felt too hurt but I consoled, I heard wrong.

To conclude I pray God to save the grand daughters of that authority and that Doctor from the clutch of the adverse sex ratio.

LIGHTENING EVE WHILE RELEASED FROM KING KANSA`S HAND DECLARED WHERE LORD SHREE KRISHNA WAS GROWING but these eves?? Can they fight back, ask Sukhvinder the Sikh taxi driver who owns a house in a posh area of Delhi but does not find a bride up to his forties.

DEDICATED TO SUKHVINDER.