Ilegal abortion Racket: FIR filed against four more doctors

Nagpur: Days after an MBBS doctor and two nurses of the Kadam private hospital were arrested in connection with an illegal abortion case, a second FIR was registered against four doctors of the hospital on Tuesday for procedural violations by the Arvi police.

They are reported to have stolen medicines from the Arvi sub-district hospital for use at their private hospital for performing abortions, reports the Indian Express.

Also Read:Blackbuck skin found in house of MBBS doctor arrested in illegal abortion case

The second FIR in the illegal abortion case was filed under sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) of the IPC, section 12 (penalty) of the Maharashtra Nursing Homes Registration Act, section 29 (penalty for falsely claiming to be registered) of Maharashtra Medical Council Act, section 5 (2) (termination of pregnancy by a person who is not registered medical practitioner) of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and section 27 (penalty for sale of drugs in contravention of the act) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The hospital which is run by the Kadam family, was in the news after an illegal abortion was allegedly performed on a 13 year old at the Kadam hospital earlier this month. The medical dialogues had earlier reported about the case in which an MBBS doctor and two nurses were arrested. The police found 11 skulls and 54 bones of the foetuses at the hospital at the hospital premises,which has been sent to Nagpur Forensic Lab for DNA extraction. Following that, the MD team had also reported about the finding of a blackbuck skin from the doctor's residence who was arrested in the illegal abortion case.

Also Read:Maha: Illegal abortion racket busted in Wardha, MBBS doctor, 2 nurses held

The police officials confirmed to the Times of India that the family is facing multiple charges, including misappropriation, government drugs, including expired drugs, for their private use.

The abortion was performed forcefully after the 13 year old was allegedly threatened by the family of the 17 year old who had raped the girl. No record of could be found in the hospital, reports the Indian Express. According to biomedical waste management rules, all the expired medicines and human remains, including the foetus needs to be kept in a yellow bucket and then should be handed over to a private super hygiene agency that would dispose it as per government rules.

The second FIR was filed on the basis of a fresh complaint by a doctor who is the superintendent of Arvi sub-district hospital, accusing the four doctors of the Kadam family. The superintendent was a member of the special team of doctors formed by Wardha Civil Surgeon Dr Sachin Tadas that visited Kadam Hospital for an inspection on January 15. The team submitted a report to Dr. Tadas, who would be chairing an advisory committee to decide the further course of action against the hospital.

The complainant alleged that seven beds were functioning in the hospital, instead of the authorised five, and the doctor who was arrested first in the case had not registered her MS Gynaecology degree with the Maharashtra Medical Council. He said that another doctor of the Kadam family, who was an employee of the Arvi sub-district hospital since 2018 on a contract basis for Rs 50,000 per month used to misappropriate medicines for MTP from the hospital.Over 90 oxytocin injections and 71,764 Mala D contraceptive pills were found by the police. The complainant said in the FIR, "He used stolen medicines for monetary benefits at his Kadam Hospital and cheated the government."

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) team visited the hospital, after which sections of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act were added in the FIR.The sonography machines along with the registers maintained at the hospital for legal abortions have been seized by the police to help them with the data on the sonographies being performed.

As per a media report in the TOI, the PCPNDT committee of the district has also come under scrutiny after it was learned that one of the key members of the committee was a close relative of the accused doctor. The said person had attempted to enter the premises of the Kadam hospital in the evening when the investigation was going on, but he was stopped by a constable on duty there.

The hospital was established in the 1970's, with a license for to run a maternity and nursing home and to carry out medical termination of pregnancies (MTP) being given in 1995. The father of the hospital owner was also a member of parliament, and their family own several properties in the district.

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