CHENNAI: The death of a 22-year-old woman from complications linked to congenital heart disease during childbirth has sparked a dispute in Erode between the district administration, health officials and doctors over who should conduct cardiac screenings and scans for pregnant women.
Following a maternal death audit and a comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CeMONC) review, Erode district collector S Kandasamy issued directions to private hospitals, citing discrepancies in ECHO reports that allegedly delayed treatment. The order said ECHO tests for antenatal and postnatal mothers should be conducted only by cardiologists to ensure accurate assessment and timely intervention, while fetal anomaly scans were restricted to radiologists.
Kandasamy told TOI that the decisions were based on expert medical opinion. Officials said the audit confirmed lapses and pointed to inconsistencies in ECHO reports from some private hospitals, where tests were often performed by technicians who might miss critical abnormalities, posing risks to pregnant women.
The Indian Medical Association, however, criticised the move as a “knee-jerk overreach” that could delay care and increase costs. Dr C N Raja, the IMA’s national past vice-president, said ECHOs are conducted by trained and certified technicians, many of whom are educated in state medical colleges. “In tier-2 cities and rural areas, it is impractical to refer every ECHO to a cardiologist. Cardiologists are consulted when abnormalities are detected,” he said.
IMA also wrote to the collector opposing the restriction of fetal anomaly scans to radiologists, arguing that the PCPNDT Act allows radiologists, sonologists and gynaecologists to perform these scans. Doctors added that many obstetricians now have specialised training in advanced ultrasound, services that were once confined to Chennai but are now available locally in Erode.
