Cuttack: A petition was filed in the Orissa High Court Thursday challenging a notification of the Union government that only qualified radiologists will perform ultrasound tests.
Raju Agarwal has filed the writ petition in the HC in which he termed the Centre’s notification illegitimate. The Centre, in April this year, had clarified that the ultrasound centres were not allowed to do the test without a radiologist.
The petitioner’s counsel and advocate Asish Mishra informed the court that there are only a few qualified radiologists in the state and the Centre’s order will pave the way for closure of the ultrasound centres. Mishra stated that in most of the government and private ultrasound centres, MBBS doctors perform the test. However, the Union government’s notification clarified that MBBS doctors are not enough qualified to do the tests; hence they are barred from undertaking the tests.
Many government hospitals in the state have ultrasound machines, but those are lying idle due to shortage of radiologists. As a result, patients depend on private ultrasound centres. After the Centre’s notification, there are possibilities that the private ultrasound centres will also close, Mishra said.
He further stated that the Centre’s notification will affected the healthcare service in remote areas as those districts do not have radiologists in government hospitals and MBBS doctors are performing the test. The situation in private hospitals in remote areas is also similar. If the MBBS doctors will be barred from the ultrasound test, most of the centres will have to shut down.
PNN
