Chennai: The state health department has ordered the closure of four hospitals in Tamil Nadu for allegedly selling the eggs of a 16-year-old girl. The action was taken in the incident where the mother forced the girl to go to different hospitals and sell her eggs eight times.
“Only adult married women aged 21-35 with one child are allowed to donate eggs, and that too only once. In this incident, the 16-year-old girl was forced to sell her eggs several times, said Tamil Nadu Health Minister MA Subramanian. He explained that the committee which investigated the matter found a series of violations.
A fake Aadhaar card was created for a minor girl to make her look like an adult. Also forged a consent form in the name of her husband.
The allegations against the hospitals are that they have violated the Assisted Reproductive Technology Act. There were not enough qualified counselors in the hospitals. The investigation committee also found that the girl was not given adequate advice about the pros and cons of egg donation procedures.
A case is being filed against the authorities and the girl’s relatives along with POCSO departments for illegally creating Aadhaar. The Tamil Nadu Health Minister said that the hospitals have been charged with a fine of up to 50 lakhs and the doctors involved can be jailed for up to 10 years.
Keeping in mind the interest of patients, hospitals have been given two weeks to close. He also clarified that two of these hospitals will lose their empanelment under the state health insurance scheme. It is also alleged that each hospital in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh is involved in the sale of eggs.