Chandigarh, April 22
A special team of the Punjab Health Department has supervised the registration of cases under the PNDT (Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act against two private hospitals in Batala and sealed another one. Doctors in all three hospitals are close relatives and associates of BJP chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) Jagdish Sahni.

According to sources, a special team headed by state nodal officer VK Goyal raided three private hospitals in Batala tehsil two days ago. Cases under the PNDT act were registered against Public hospital, Panjgrain, owned by the Dr Pyara Lal, who is the father of Sahni’s son-in-law and Dr Ajay Choudhary, who does ultrasonography at Batala hospital. Dr Chaudhary is “more than a son” according to Sahni’s own admission. The team has also sealed Rajindra hospital, Udanwala, where Sahni’s son-in-law Dr Gautam Sharma performs ultrasonography.

The sources said the team found deficiencies in the reference list of ultrasounds done at both the Public and Batala hospitals. Both hospitals also did not keep obstetrical history of pregnant cases. The team had checked cases of second trimester pregnancies between two to six months during its inspection. Eight cases of alleged irregularity in record keeping was found in Batala hospital and 10 cases in Public hospital.

Sahni’s son-in-law Dr Gautam Sharma revealed that he was not filling the “F” form. The form serves as a record for all pregnant women visiting the hospital.

The PNDT nodal officer said he did not know whether the hospitals were linked with Jagdish Sahni. He said he had been directed to inspect the “F” form. The form serves as a record for all pregnant women visiting the hospital. The PNDT nodal officer said he did not know whether the hospitals were linked with Jagdish Sahni. He said he had been directed to inspect the facilities following complaints submitted to the Health minister. He said at Batala hospital it seemed as if the management had got information about the inspection, as no one was present on the spot when the team reached there. Dr Goyal said the team checked only three facilities in Batala tehsil. Meanwhile, Health minister Laxmi Kant Chawla said she did not know whether any of the hospitals checked by her team were associated with the Batala legislator. She, however, said the inspections were done in Gurdaspur district following widespread complaints.

However, Sahni claimed that the minister was targeting him and he had spoken out against her in the Vidhan Sabha. He said it was strange that while there were 35 ultrasound centres functioning in Batala, the special team from Chandigarh had thought it fit to inspect only three facilities associated with him. The BJP legislator from Batala said action should be taken against his relatives if they had done any wrong. He, however, claimed this was not the case alleging the hospital where his son-in-law was working had been sealed on charges that a nurse had filled a required form despite the fact that it had been duly signed by the doctor. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Ashwani Sekhri, who is also from Batala, called for the immediate sack of Sahni who he alleged was supporting illegal activities. Sekhri congratulated Laxmi Kant for the bold manner in which she had acted against Sahni’s relatives saying it would serve as a deterrent to others.