Bihar allows MBBS doctors to perform ultrasound after special 6-month training

Patna: In a major decision, the Bihar Health Department has allowed MBBS doctors to perform ultrasound after completing six months of special training under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT) Act 1994, and Rules 2014 and 2020.

As per the new directive, MBBS doctors will have to undergo 300 hours of training which will be conducted in all medical colleges across Bihar under the supervision of radiologists and gynaecologists.

The department has issued guidelines under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act and sent letters to all medical colleges and district health departments in the state regarding the implementation of the programme after the Bihar cabinet approved the proposal for Level One' Abdomino-Pelvic Ultrasonography to be performed by MBBS doctors.

Also read- PCPNDT Violations in Mandya: 3 doctors arrested for illegal scans of minors

Until now, under the 2018 rule, MBBS doctors were not allowed to perform an ultrasound, but the new decision has changed the rules. The government has also allocated training seats at various medical colleges.

Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna, has been allotted 36 seats, while Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur, has been allotted four seats, reports News 18.

To oversee the implementation, the department has formed a special committee headed by the Director General. The committee includes officials from the Health Education Department, the Vice Chancellor of Bihar University of Health Sciences, and experts from the radiology and gynaecology departments.

The department has further clarified that doctors who failed the Competency Based Assessment (CBA) test three times earlier will also be eligible for the six-month training programme. After completing the course, they will be given certificates.

Also read- PCPNDT Violations: Maha Health Department to cancel 34 doctors' licences