DT Next: Madurai: Monday, 24 August 2026.
The shortcoming has been forcing pregnant women to approach private scan centres, where each ultrasonography costs between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500, alleges Madurai-based health activist and Akilan’s father Anand Raj
When most kids his age
spent after-school hours trying to best their gaming record, 17-year-old Class
12 student A Shirwin Paul Akilan filed an RTI query to get behind what is
ailing primary health centres (PHCs) in the district, and came out with a disturbing
find that 23 of Madurai’s 57 PHCs lacked ultrasound sonography (USG)
facilities, forcing pregnant women in several rural areas to travel to town or
Madurai city for the diagnostic service.
The shortcoming has been forcing pregnant women to approach private scan centres, where each ultrasonography costs between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500, alleges Madurai-based health activist and Akilan’s father Anand Raj.
Akilan sought the details of diagnostic facilities available at PHCs in the district, under the RTI Act.
According to the RTI reply furnished by the district health officer, Madurai, on August 18, the most alarming find was in the Melur block that has an upgraded PHC, besides six PHCs, but none of the seven centres has an ultrasound scan facility.
On his inspiration to file the RTI query, Akilan says he has been accompanying his father, Anand Raj, on field visits to PHCs in southern districts ever since he was in Class IV. He gained firsthand knowledge about the problems faced by people due to the lack of healthcare facilities.
“I learnt from my father that poor infrastructure at government health centres were pushing more and more people towards private hospitals and felt it was my duty as a citizen to bring the issue to the government’s attention,” says Akilan, who lives in the main city of KK Nagar.
“Ultrasound scan facilities are particularly important for pregnant women, who need to undergo scans during pregnancy to monitor the growth of the foetus,” says Raj. The non-availability of a government ultrasound scan facility in Melur block is particularly concerning, he notes.
Tuesdays and Fridays are designated for antenatal care at the PHCs, and around 50 to 60 pregnant women visit the centres for check-ups, he says.
“Now, pregnant women have no other option but to travel 15 to 20 km to undergo scans at private centres in nearby towns or travel farther to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai,” he laments.
There are 13 blocks and 57 PHCs functioning under the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Madurai district. Each block has an upgraded PHC (UGPHC).
Ultrasound scans, X-rays and ECGs are among the major diagnostic facilities available at PHCs and UGPHCs, which are important for the early detection and diagnosis of diseases.
The RTI information obtained by Akilan also revealed that ECG facilities are not available at 18 of the 57 PHCs, while three of the 13 UGPHCs — Samayanallur, Chekkanurani and Valayankulam — do not have X-ray facilities.
A pregnant woman may have to undergo four to five scans during a pregnancy, in addition to an echocardiogram, which could cost around Rs 8,000 at private scan centres. The family may also have to bear additional expenses for an attendant accompanying the woman, says a government nurse, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Though the government provides Rs 18,000 under the Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme to every eligible pregnant woman, a substantial portion of the assistance could be spent on scans at private centres, says Raj.
There is more ailing the PHCs than the missing infrastructure. According to an official source, the post of radiologist-cum-sonologist at the Government Taluk Hospital in Melur has been vacant for some time. Hence, a sonologist from the Government Taluk Hospital in Usilampatti visits Melur to attend to pregnant women, potentially affecting diagnostic services in both taluks, the source explains.
He also claims that a government doctor had started a private scan centre in Melur amid the increasing demand for ultrasound scans among pregnant women.
Attributing the non-availability of the service in some centres to lapses on the part of officials, the source says the Block Medical Officer should ensure that ultrasound machines are functional and that necessary licences are periodically renewed.
Akilan says he is now developing an app using information obtained through various RTI applications to help people in rural areas find what all facilities are available at government hospitals, so that they do not waste time and money travelling in search of services.
The shortcoming has been forcing pregnant women to approach private scan centres, where each ultrasonography costs between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500, alleges Madurai-based health activist and Akilan’s father Anand Raj
 |
Shirwin Paul Akilan |
The shortcoming has been forcing pregnant women to approach private scan centres, where each ultrasonography costs between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500, alleges Madurai-based health activist and Akilan’s father Anand Raj.
Akilan sought the details of diagnostic facilities available at PHCs in the district, under the RTI Act.
According to the RTI reply furnished by the district health officer, Madurai, on August 18, the most alarming find was in the Melur block that has an upgraded PHC, besides six PHCs, but none of the seven centres has an ultrasound scan facility.
On his inspiration to file the RTI query, Akilan says he has been accompanying his father, Anand Raj, on field visits to PHCs in southern districts ever since he was in Class IV. He gained firsthand knowledge about the problems faced by people due to the lack of healthcare facilities.
“I learnt from my father that poor infrastructure at government health centres were pushing more and more people towards private hospitals and felt it was my duty as a citizen to bring the issue to the government’s attention,” says Akilan, who lives in the main city of KK Nagar.
“Ultrasound scan facilities are particularly important for pregnant women, who need to undergo scans during pregnancy to monitor the growth of the foetus,” says Raj. The non-availability of a government ultrasound scan facility in Melur block is particularly concerning, he notes.
Tuesdays and Fridays are designated for antenatal care at the PHCs, and around 50 to 60 pregnant women visit the centres for check-ups, he says.
“Now, pregnant women have no other option but to travel 15 to 20 km to undergo scans at private centres in nearby towns or travel farther to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai,” he laments.
There are 13 blocks and 57 PHCs functioning under the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Madurai district. Each block has an upgraded PHC (UGPHC).
Ultrasound scans, X-rays and ECGs are among the major diagnostic facilities available at PHCs and UGPHCs, which are important for the early detection and diagnosis of diseases.
The RTI information obtained by Akilan also revealed that ECG facilities are not available at 18 of the 57 PHCs, while three of the 13 UGPHCs — Samayanallur, Chekkanurani and Valayankulam — do not have X-ray facilities.
A pregnant woman may have to undergo four to five scans during a pregnancy, in addition to an echocardiogram, which could cost around Rs 8,000 at private scan centres. The family may also have to bear additional expenses for an attendant accompanying the woman, says a government nurse, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Though the government provides Rs 18,000 under the Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme to every eligible pregnant woman, a substantial portion of the assistance could be spent on scans at private centres, says Raj.
There is more ailing the PHCs than the missing infrastructure. According to an official source, the post of radiologist-cum-sonologist at the Government Taluk Hospital in Melur has been vacant for some time. Hence, a sonologist from the Government Taluk Hospital in Usilampatti visits Melur to attend to pregnant women, potentially affecting diagnostic services in both taluks, the source explains.
He also claims that a government doctor had started a private scan centre in Melur amid the increasing demand for ultrasound scans among pregnant women.
Attributing the non-availability of the service in some centres to lapses on the part of officials, the source says the Block Medical Officer should ensure that ultrasound machines are functional and that necessary licences are periodically renewed.
Akilan says he is now developing an app using information obtained through various RTI applications to help people in rural areas find what all facilities are available at government hospitals, so that they do not waste time and money travelling in search of services.
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