India's war on female foeticide
Diagnostic Ultrasonography is the quintessential medical tool, absolutely necessary for better primary healthcare. New advancements are making Ultrasound disruptively affordable, portable and easy-to-use. However, India, with a huge population of 1.2B people and a poor healthcare system, has a major handicap to unlock ultrasound's full potential.
It's called 'female infanticide' - Boy child is often preferred over girl child. With an ultrasound device, in just a few minutes, a doctor can tell whether a fetus is male or female and this makes ultrasound a dangerous medical tool.
Since 1994, The Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostics Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act of India has been fighting 'intentional sex selection' by heavily regulating the use of Ultrasound devices and mandating doctors to abide by several very strict terms and conditions.
Breast Cancer Screening without PC-PNDT
"While iBreastExam device makes use of Piezoelectric Ceramic material, unlike ultrasound machines, it does not generate any kind of ultrasound waves. iBreastExam can not be used in any shape or form to determine the gender of a fetus and hence does not require PC-PNDT certification."
- Matthew Campisi, CTO, UE LifeSciences
Login to your State's PC-PNDT Cell
Most states of India now have a dedicated web-portal to guide and manage PC-PNDT process. Click on the button below and select your state to visit the specific cell site:
iBreastExam + Ultrasound = Early Detection of Breast Cancer
Over the years, the diagnostic imaging capabilities of ultrasound have spread across all clinical applications, from obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics and cardiology to emergency medicine and so on. When combined with iBreastExam, Diagnostic Ultrasonography can help ascertain whether a breast biopsy/fnac is necessary. Graphic below highlights the clinical workflow:
PC-PNDT act was implemented to correct the skewed sex ratio in India, due to female foeticide. In today’s day and age, when women’s health & well-being is getting the focus and importance it deserves, we must promote better breast health. iBreastExam technology helps detect small breast lumps/cancers in a painless manner, without doctors having to worry about the PC & PNDT process.
Unlike Ultrasound, iBreastExam can be operated by virtually anyone, including nurses, technicians, ASHAs or Community/Social Health Workers.
- Dr. Rohan Khandelwal, Breast Surgeon
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