Damodar Rajanarsimha Orders IVF Expansion, Crackdown on Fertility Centre Violations

The Telangana government is preparing to expand fertility and IVF services in public hospitals while tightening regulatory oversight of private fertility centres, following concerns over violations of the ART and Surrogacy Acts.

Health Minister Damodar Rajanarsimha directed officials to take firm action against centres that violate regulations and said there should be no leniency for serious violations. At a review meeting at the Secretariat on Monday, he examined the functioning of government and private fertility centres and the implementation of the ART, Surrogacy and PCPNDT Act.

Officials said the government-run IVF centres at Gandhi Hospital and MGMH, Petlaburj, have so far provided fertility-related services to 39,802 patients. Together, the centres have conducted 20,185 follicular studies, 521 IUI procedures and 545 IVF cases. The Gandhi Hospital centre was launched in October 2024, followed by the MGMH facility in December 2024. The minister asked officials to strengthen both centres and prepare proposals for the phased expansion of IVF services to districts.

Telangana currently has 477 registered ART and surrogacy centres, including 129 ART Level-1 centres, 226 ART Level-2 centres, 59 ART banks and 63 surrogacy clinics. Rajanarsimha directed continuous monitoring of their staffing, registration, record maintenance and grievance redressal mechanisms.

Of the 379 private fertility centres inspected, violations were found at 50 facilities, Health and Family Welfare Commissioner Dr Sangeeta Satyanarayana said. The lapses included staff-related discrepancies, poor record maintenance, failure to display registration certificates, absence of grievance cells and operations from addresses other than those registered. Two centres had their registrations cancelled, while nine were temporarily suspended.

The minister also called for greater transparency to prevent patients from facing an unnecessary financial burden in the name of fertility treatment. Inspection teams were asked to examine medicines, injections, manufacturers and MRP details.

Meanwhile, 2,600 inspections were conducted at hospitals and scanning centres between April and July, with 37 violations detected at 52 centres. Rajanarsimha ordered special surveillance of centres suspected of facilitating illegal sex determination and called for strict enforcement of the PCPNDT Act.

The meeting was attended by Christina Z Chongthu, Dr Sangeeta Satyanarayana, Dr Ravinder Naik, Dr Sumitra and other senior officials.