Synopsis
The Tamil Nadu Health Department is intensifying its efforts to shut down illegal foetal sex determination centers due to rising concerns over sex-selective abortions and gender imbalances. Surprise inspections are mandated for District Health Officers to enforce the PCPNDT Act effectively.Key Takeaways
- Tamil Nadu Health Department increases inspections.
- Focus on combating sex-selective abortions.
- District Health Officers empowered for better enforcement.
- Operation reveals illegal networks in Salem and Krishnagiri.
- Ongoing cultural biases contribute to declining female ratios.
Chennai, April 13 (NationPress) The Tamil Nadu Health Department has escalated its efforts to combat illegal foetal sex determination centers throughout the state, driven by rising concerns about sex-selective abortions and imbalanced gender ratios.
The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has recently issued a directive to all District Health Officers (DHOs), mandating surprise inspections at no fewer than three scan centers each month.
The goal is to eliminate the illegal practice of prenatal sex determination and to enforce the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act more stringently. The directive, issued in early April, also requires that DHOs, in collaboration with the Joint Director of Health Services (JDHS), visit every scan center in their respective Health Unit Districts (HUD) and provide comprehensive inspection reports to the Directorate by the 6th of each month.
“Recently, instances of sex-selective abortions, especially targeting female foetuses, have been reported in various regions of the state,” remarked Dr T.S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. “To enhance the enforcement of the PCPNDT Act, DHOs are required to perform surprise inspections at least three times a month at scan centers.”
However, health officials on the ground express that the success of these initiatives depends on empowering DHOs. According to Section 17(2) of the PCPNDT Act, suitable authorities must be designated through a gazette notification. Currently, DHOs are not officially part of the District-Level or Sub-District-Level Advisory Committees, which restricts their ability to operate independently.
The latest directive follows a significant operation on February 26, 2025, when a joint effort involving health officials and police uncovered an illegal sex determination network spanning the Salem and Krishnagiri districts.
Six individuals, including a government doctor and a nurse, were apprehended. The operation was initiated based on a tip-off received by Krishnagiri District Collector S. Dinesh Kumar. A covert team, including City Health Officer Dr G. Ramesh Kumar and Kelamangalam Block Medical Officer Dr C. Rajesh Kumar, organized a sting operation. Two doctors posing as a couple seeking fetal sex determination approached Gautham, 34, from Rayakottai. Gautham directed them to Sagaya Mary, 48, from Tirupathur, but due to identification complications, the decoy couple was redirected to Salem district.
There, they encountered intermediaries Sangeetha, 38, from Dharmapuri, and Ambika, 45, from Salem. These brokers took them to nurse Kalaimani, 48, at the Primary Health Centre in Thedavur. Ultimately, the couple was led to the Pasupathy Scan Centre in Veeranam, where they met Dr Muthamil, 45, from Achankuttapatty PHC.
After confirming the illegal activities, authorities arrested all six individuals involved, including Dr Muthamil and nurse Kalaimani. An ultrasound machine used for sex determination was confiscated.
Investigations revealed that Dr Muthamil charged Rs 15,000 per procedure. All six have been placed in judicial custody. Despite the strict provisions of the PCPNDT Act, 1994—which prohibits sex selection before or after conception and regulates the use of prenatal diagnostic techniques—enforcement remains a significant challenge. Violations may result in fines ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.
The February case is not an isolated incident. In August 2024, officials in Dharmapuri dismantled another illegal operation where prenatal sex determination was occurring in an unauthorized residential property.
Experts indicate that such ongoing illegal activities reflect entrenched cultural biases favoring male children, leading to declining female sex ratios and long-term societal repercussions. As the Health Department enhances surveillance and enforcement strategies, there are increasing calls to empower DHOs through formal inclusion in advisory bodies and independent policing authority to ensure that the crackdown is genuinely effective and not merely symbolic.
