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Members of FPAI, Nagaland branch, and Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) along with other participants during an orientation programme on legal provision for protection of women and children at UPHC, Seikhazou, on October 15.[/caption]
Dimapur, Oct. 15 (EMN): Nagaland branch of the Family Planning Association of India, in collaboration with Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) and Urban Primary Health Centre, Seikhazou, organised an orientation programme for healthcare providers on Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Termination of Pregnancy Act, and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act with Neiteo Koza, NHLN state coordinator as the resource person.
An update from Akangkokla Namo, FPAI programme officer, on Tuesday stated that Neiteo Koza gave an overview of the POCSO Act and pointed out the role of medical and health professionals. She mentioned that whenever a victim is brought in the hospital or health facilities, he/she should be provided medical care and examined by a registered health practitioner only in the presence of her parent/ guardian or any other person with whom the child has trust and confidence. She also pointed that no medical practitioner, hospital or other medical facility centre rendering emergency care to the child should demand any legal or magisterial or other documentation as a pre-requisite to rendering such care.
She mentioned that medical practitioner rendering emergency healthcare should attend to the needs of the child providing treatment for cuts, bruises and other injuries, provide treatment for STDs, HIV, discussed emergency contraceptives. She added that when a victim has reached puberty, healthcare providers should make necessary referral or consultation for mental or psychological health or other counselling including collecting forensic evidence in the course of rendering emergency healthcare. She also mentioned that medical examination report should be prepared by the medical practitioner and submit to the investigating officer.
With regard to the provisions of medical termination of pregnancy act, she highlighted that such cases should be conducted by a registered medical practitioner only subjected to certain conditions.
“To terminate pregnancy, medical expert should give an opinion that the continuance of pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman or of grave injury to her physical or mental health and if there is a substantial risk that birth of the child, if born, it would suffer from physical or mental abnormalities, subjected to further conditions,” she stated.
She also pointed out that sex determination of foetus is a punishable offence and that no genetic centre or genetic laboratory or genetic clinic should conduct pre-natal diagnostic techniques for the purpose of determining the gender of the foetus.
Dr. Bilva Yalie, MO, UPHC, also pointed out the need of strengthening adolescent reproductive sexual healthcare and the need to create more awareness of on the issue.
In her introductory remarks, Ville Rhetso, FPAI counsellor FPAI, laid emphasis on the importance of role of healthcare providers and the need of equipping oneself for effective implementations of the POCSO, MTP, and PNDT Act in the state.