Maharashtra: Guidelines on Disposal of Sonography Machines Issued

Since there are no precise guidelines in the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique (PCPNDT) Act, on the disposal of sonography machines; this step of the scrapping of machines ethically, will ensure that they are destroyed and not misused.

Mumbai: With the purpose to put a halt on the illegal practice of sex determination and female foeticide in the state, the Maharashtra government has laid down the guidelines for the disposal of old and non-functional sonography machines.

In order to make these guidelines work, the state government has constituted a district-level committee, with the sole principle to curb the unethical and criminal use of these machines that could be used to determine the sex of the foetus. The committee will make the decisions on the “scrapping of sonography machines”.

The Government Resolution (GR), issued by the Public Health Department recently, which states, “There will be a five-member committee, headed by the Medical Health Officer, in each district. The committees will comprise an Expert, Assistant Director, a representative from the Municipal Corporation concerned or Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and the owner of sonography centre.”

It has been made mandatory to video record the process of dismantling. The sonography centres have also been directed to submit all details of sonography machines. If by any chance, these centres want to use any of the machines’ parts, then they will have to take permission from the committee by filing an affidavit stating that these machines will not be misused.

Guidelines issued by the state government 

• The district-level committee will take the decision of disposing of the sonography machines which are rendered as non-usable.


• If a particular machine is reusable, then the owner can reuse it.


• The government will give sanction to transport the sonography machines.


• The sonography centres will have to submit the list of the make, model and probe of the machine to the concerned authority.


• After scrutinising all the documents, the committee will take a decision on disposal.


• There should not be any pollution while disposing of the machine.


• The process of destroying the machine has to be video recorded.


• The sonography centres, which want to scrap the machines, will have to carry them before the committee. They have to take permission from an authorised district officer for transportation of the machines


• The owners will have to destroy machines on their own. They have to follow the guidelines related to e-waste management and environment protection

Things to be checked before destroying the machine

• Application of owner


• Affidavit of owner


• Letter of transport of the machine


• C. Number


• See the same machine endorsed in ‘B’ form


• ‘B’ form to be submitted condition of the probe


• Make/model of machine

Since there are no precise guidelines in the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique (PCPNDT) Act, on the disposal of sonography machines; this step of the scrapping of machines ethically, will ensure that they are destroyed and not misused.

When asked about the said course of action, Dr Jignesh Thakkar, General Secretary, Indian Radiological and Imaging Association, stated to Medical Mantra, “There were no guidelines about what to do with the sonography machines which have been rendered useless. The radiologists were facing a tough task regarding how to dispose of the sonography machine. The doctors used to keep the redundant machine with them. But, now the state government has issued a resolution and has set guidelines for scrapping the machines. So, now all the machines which are not useful will be examined and disposed off.”

“There are chances that the out-of-order sonography machines can be misused for sex determination. Considering this, the state public health department decided to issue the guidelines. We want to end all the possibilities for illegal use of the machines,” Dr Sanjeev Kamble, Director, Directorate of Health Services informed HT.

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