Chennai: The Madras High Court has quashed the action taken by the Tamil Nadu government against a private hospital in Erode for taking and selling eggs from a girl.
Authorities have ‘sealed’ private hospital scan centers in Erode in connection with the repeated sale of eggs from a 16-year-old girl. Also, the government ordered that no new patients should be admitted to the hospital and the inpatients who are undergoing treatment should be discharged within 15 days. It has also ordered cancellation of the hospital’s Fertility Treatment Unit registration.
Against these orders, a case was filed in the Madras High Court on behalf of the private hospital.
The case came up for hearing today before Justice Abdul Kuddoos. At that time, the hospital argued, “No new patients should be admitted to the hospital. Patients receiving treatment have been ordered to be discharged within 15 days. The medical equipment has been sealed without giving proper reasons as per the law. This has affected the medical profession.”
At that time, the Tamil Nadu Health Department said, “Action has been taken against the hospital which violated the rules in the public interest. There is room in the law to take this action. If a notice was sent to the hospital regarding the ovum issue, the evidence may be destroyed. That is why the action was taken without giving a notice.
Also, ovum was taken from the affected girl 9 times. They cheated by changing the age of the girl to 27. The Aadhaar card of the printer has been forged. This is a violation,” the government said.
After hearing the arguments of both sides, the judge said, “The hospital has been operating for 35 years and there has been no complaint in the past. The registration of the hospital can be canceled only if the hospital is given time to explain and confirm that there is a violation.”
Further, he ordered to quash the orders of the Tamil Nadu government saying that the reasons for canceling the registration of the hospital had not been given.
In the order issued by the judge, the health department authorities should issue a final order within 12 weeks after giving time to the hospital to explain the matter and remove the seals placed on the equipment including scans in the hospital.