Telangana cracks down on 50 fertility centres for regulatory breaches
Telangana inspected 379 fertility centres, found violations at 50, cancelled two registrations and suspended nine others for non-compliance with ART and surrogacy norms.
Telangana's health department has taken action against private fertility centres found flouting regulations, following a statewide inspection drive. Of the 379 centres examined for compliance with the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and surrogacy laws, 50 were found to have violations. This has led to the cancellation of registrations for two centres and the temporary suspension of permissions for nine others.
Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha reviewed the functioning of both government and private fertility and IVF centres at the Secretariat in Hyderabad on Monday. He directed officials to pursue legal action against centres that are not adhering to the rules.
Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Sangeetha Satyanarayana briefed the Minister on the findings. Show-cause notices have been issued to the centres where deviations were detected, with the subsequent action depending on the severity of the violations.
The inspections uncovered a range of issues, including unauthorised changes in staff, improper record maintenance, failure to display registration certificates, and the absence of grievance redressal cells. Some centres were also found to be operating from addresses different from those registered with the authorities.
The Minister has instructed officials to ensure that future inspections cover staffing details, registration status, record-keeping, and the functioning of grievance cells. He also ordered checks on the medicines and injections used at these facilities, including their manufacturers and maximum retail prices (MRPs).
Telangana currently has 477 registered ART and surrogacy centres. This includes 129 ART Level-1 centres, 226 ART Level-2 centres, 59 ART banks, and 63 surrogacy clinics.
The review also covered government-run IVF services at Gandhi Hospital and the Modern Government Maternity Hospital (MGMH) in Petlaburj. These two facilities have provided fertility-related services to 39,802 patients so far, conducting 20,185 follicular studies, 521 intrauterine insemination (IUI) procedures, and 545 IVF cases. The Minister directed officials to prepare proposals to strengthen these services and expand IVF facilities to districts in a phased manner.
In a related review of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act enforcement, officials reported that 2,600 inspections were conducted at hospitals and scanning centres between April and July. Violations were detected at 52 centres, leading to 37 show-cause notices.