HYDERABAD: The Telangana government submitted to the High Court on Thursday that Sai Kiran Hospital and Kiran Infertility Center at Banjara Hills in the city had made surrogacy a commercial activity and indulged in several irregularities.
The government filed a report in this regard before the bench of acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice T Rajani which was dealing with a taken-up PIL case based on news reports published in English dailies on June 19 this year wherein it was reported that 48 surrogate mothers with seven to nine months of pregnancy were discovered by the city police in a raid on Sai Kiran hospital and Kiran Infertility Center.
The government said in its report to the court that though the said hospital had taken permission for ultrasound scan and fertility services, it has been running a surrogacy centre in the area. Dr Samit Sekhar, who was present at the centre, was an MBBS doctor and he failed to show the Embrologist certificate. He is instrumental in running the entire surrogacy racket. In fact, there were no gynaecologists, urologists or clinical embrologists in the centre and there was no facility either to deal with emergency cases. The centre failed to maintain proper records and refused to disclose the permanent addresses of the 48 surrogate mothers, the reportit said.
The director of medical and health filed the report before the court following a direction given earlier.
After going through the report, the bench asked the government’s counsel for the social welfare department about the action taken against the said hospital. “And, what would be the fate of the surrogate mothers concerned if the police take action against the hospital as per law?” the bench asked.
In reply, the government’s counsel said that a notice had been issued to the hospital management and their reply was awaited. At present, these surrogate mothers were not willing to come out of the centre. The government was ready to take care of them if any action was initiated against the hospital, he added.
Meanwhile, Kiran Hospital and several childless couples who commissioned surrogate mothers, impleaded themselves in the case. These parents urged the court to permit them to visit the surrogate mothers so as to ensure their well-being. The officials concerned should take proper care as most of the surrogate mothers are in their advanced pregnancies.
The bench directed the medical and health director to visit the surrogate mothers on a regular basis and ensure their well-being and that their health was in good condition.
Making it clear that the health condition of the surrogate mothers as of paramount importance, the bench directed the state to file a counter affidavit in three weeks on the action taken against the said infertility centre and related issues, and adjourned the case.