HYDERABAD: Search is on to locate the infertility clinic in the city which took up surrogacy of mother who has been allegedly abandoned by the commissioning couple. In a recent case, a woman agreed to be a surrogate mother for a couple from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. However, the surrogate mother, Saritha (name changed) reportedly alleged that the commissioning couple stopped visiting her after seventh-month and refused to accept the baby.
With many loose ends to the issue and to cross check the allegations, Hyderabad’s District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr K Padmaja and her team checked files in a private hospital in SR Nagar where the surrogacy was allegedly taken up.The DMHO staff wants to get hold of legal papers related to the surrogacy so that they can know details of the commissioning couple.
It is learnt that the private hospital denied having taken up the surrogacy and gave a written statement to the DMHO staff mentioning the same. Later in the evening, they went to an infertility clinic in Tarnaka but could not find the name of the surrogate mother in the files. Saritha gave birth to the surrogate baby girl at Modern Government Maternity Hospital, Petlaburj.
Charminar police, under whose jurisdiction the hospital is located, said they did not receive any complaint either from Saritha or DMHO office. Though they learnt about the case, they cannot take up DNA test -- to find biological parents of the child -- until a complaint is lodged.The woman is still admitted at the Maternity Hospital and the new born whose condition has turned critical is getting treated at Niloufer Hospital. “The child’s condition is stable,” said officials in the Telangana Health department.
Right now, it is not clear where the newborn will be sent to. Commissioner of Telangana Health and Family Welfare Department Vakati Karuna said that till the time it is decided to whom does the child belong to, the state will take care of her.The DMHO staff did not negate the possibility that there might be more cases where the commissioning couple has given up the responsibility of newborns after opting for surrogacy.
Meanwhile, a committee for surrogacy which was formed on July 5, will begin their work this week. In the month of June, rules for surrogacy were discussed after the DMHO office raided an infertility clinic in Jubilee Hills.
State to take care of the baby
The new born is getting treated at Niloufer Hospital. Right now, it is not clear where the newborn will be sent to. Commissioner of Telangana Health and Family Welfare Department Vakati Karuna said that till the time it is decided to whom does the child belong to, the state will take care of her.