Investigators from the Health Department raided a laboratory in Delhi and found it performing non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) without the necessary permits. The health department raided the facility based on the fact that no maternal records were kept, and the laboratory did not obtain mandatory consent from pregnant women before carrying out the genetic study. As a result, the health department team sent a pregnant woman for NIPT test. This test analyses DNA fragments found in the blood of pregnant women.
NIPT is permitted in India only for prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders. The officials said that further genetic testing could determine a fetus's sex through the NIPT test. The preconception and prenatal diagnostic techniques (PCPNDT) act & rules (1994/1996) authorize qualified and registered persons to carry out this procedure in a registered genetic clinic. However, the…
