Madras HC allows Erode hospital to operate

One of the four hospitals that were shut down for allegedly helping in the sale of female gamete cell, the oocyte, of a 16-year-old in Erode, can start admitting new patients after the Madras High Court cancelled the state government order.

The hospital told the court that they have been operating for the last 20 years and had faced no allegations so far.

The hospital authorities said that they were not given a chance to explain their side and hence, the court ordered the Tamil Nadu government to conduct a fresh probe and ascertain the facts within a period of 12 weeks.

The court also struck down the government order which prevented the hospital from admitting new patients. With court intervention, the hospital will now be able to use all the equipment and operate normally.

The case
A 16-year-old girl was allegedly forced to sell her female gamete cell, called the oocyte by her family. The girl managed to escape from her home and filed a complaint with Erode Police.

The police found that oocyte was sold multiple times at private hospitals in Erode, Salem, Perundurai and Hosur using fake id cards. The four private hospitals were then sealed by the state government for facilitating the sale of ovarian eggs.

The probe revealed gross violations under Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act (ART) and Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act.

The police have since arrested the minor girl’s mother, mother’s paramour and a female intermediary for forging the age of the minor girl and selling her female gamete cell. India Today