Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada Health and Family Welfare Department has directed all ultrasound scanning centres in the district to strictly verify the age of pregnant women before conducting scans and immediately inform the police if any pregnant woman is found to be below 18 years of age.
The directive was issued by the District Advisory Committee under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act during a meeting held at the District Health Officer’s office.
Mandatory age verification
Chairing the meeting, Dr Amrutha Bhandary instructed scanning centres to verify age-related documents of every pregnant woman visiting for a scan.
“If any pregnant woman below the age of 18 is identified, the police must be informed immediately,” she said, stressing the need for strict compliance with the directive.
The move is aimed at strengthening monitoring mechanisms and ensuring timely intervention in cases involving underage pregnancies.
Sex ratio remains balanced
Officials informed the committee that between April and June 2026, the district recorded the birth of 2,911 boys and 2,872 girls, resulting in a sex ratio of 987 girls for every 1,000 boys.
The committee also reviewed applications from healthcare institutions that had recently purchased ultrasound scanning equipment and discussed deficiencies noticed during inspection visits to hospitals.
Veterinary clinics also issued directions
The committee decided that all veterinary hospitals and clinics in Dakshina Kannada must prominently display boards stating “Scan for animals only”.
They have also been directed to submit a notarised affidavit declaring that ultrasound equipment at their facilities is used exclusively for animals and not for human scanning.
Over 700 scan centres inspected
District Implementation Officer Dr Deepa Prabhu informed the committee that between April 2025 and March 2026, officials inspected 681 private and 39 government scanning centres across the district.
In addition, taluk health officers conducted inspections at 75 private and nine government scanning centres to ensure compliance with the provisions of the PCPNDT Act.
Health officials said regular inspections and stricter monitoring will continue to prevent misuse of diagnostic technology and ensure adherence to legal and ethical standards.