Couple working in Pandavapura hospital among three held for illegal pregnancy termination

MANDYA: Three Health Department employees, including a couple, have been arrested for conducting illegal sex determination tests and abortions. Shockingly, this was being done in the government quarters right behind the taluk health officer’s office in Pandavapura.

The arrested couple Anand and Ashwini.

Acting on specific information, a team of the district health officer Dr Mohan, taluk health officer Dr Aravind and the police on Sunday night raided the government quarters and arrested Anand, an ambulance driver at the Pandavapura taluk hospital, his wife Ashwini, a Groupd-D worker at the same hospital, and another woman. The quarters had been allotted to Anand. The team also rescued a woman who had come for abortion and it is suspected that some doctors may also be involved.

The SP and the DC held a meeting with the Health Department officials on Monday.

The officials seized medicines, syringers and intravenous kits from the house. They suspect that the couple would ask their patients to get the scanning done elsewhere and conduct the abortions at their quarters.

On Monday, Deputy Commissioner Dr Kumar and Police Superintendent Yathish N visited the government quarters where the illegal medical termination of pregnancy was being carried out and held a meeting with the health officials at the Pandavapura taluk hospital.