Nagpur: In a significant development, the Nagpur District Medical Board led by Chairperson and Civil Surgeon Dr Nivrutti Rathod, has taken a historic step by approving the Nagpur first case of surrogacy on Thursday. The Board, constituted a year ago as per the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021, under the Chairmanship of Dr Nivrutti Rathod, had received four cases of surrogate mothers. This decision may pave the way for ethical and regulated surrogacy practice in Nagpur, offering a much-needed solution for couples facing infertility issues.
The other members on the Board were Medical Superintendent Dr Seema Parvekar, senior Gynaecologist Dr Madhuri Thorat, senior paediatrician Dr Dilip Madavi and physician Dr Jayashree Vaidya.
Surrogacy is a process where a woman, known as a surrogate mother, carries and delivers a baby for another couple, who are unable to conceive naturally or have medical conditions that prevent them from carrying a pregnancy. The intended parents, the couple who wish to have a child, provide the egg and sperm, which are then fertilized through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and implanted in the surrogate mother’s womb.
The couple (intending couple with male partner within the age group of 23-55 years and his female partner of age between 23 and 50 years), who can’t conceive, has to apply to the Medical Board. They have to search for a surrogate mother — a woman between the age group of 23 and 35 years. While approving any case, the Board takes several aspects into account.
According to Dr Rathod, the main aspect is the age of the couples (intending and surrogate). Then, the surrogate couple should have at least one child; the surrogate mother should be fit and healthy; the gametes (sperm and ovum) should be of the intending couple. Once all this is ensured, the gametes are placed in the uterus of the surrogate mother. Under a legal procedure, the surrogate mother who grows the foetus in her womb, has to write down that she would hand over the baby to the intending couple, she said.
The Medical Board takes an interview of both the couples. It is ensured, through the personal interview, that the surrogate mother is undergoing the surrogacy process without any pressure or lure. Before taking a decision on the application received by this office for getting Certificate of Necessity, Certificate of Eligibility, in the case that got approval on Friday, the decision was taken unanimously by the board based on the medical report of physical and mental condition of the surrogate mother and the family interested in surrogacy.
The intended couple can do the procedure in the official surrogacy centres anywhere once they get approval from the Medical Board. In this meeting, a medical officer along with board members Dr Rina Lanjewar and Adv. Anand Bhise and surrogacy couple related family, surrogate mothers were present before the Board. The hospital which has not registered as per ART bank, ART Level-1 and ART Clinic Level-1 should fill the online application on the Government website www.registry.artsurrogacy.gov.in and submit the copy to the office of District Surgeon, Nagpur, urged Dr Nivrutti Rathod.
The Surrogacy Regulation Act, 2021, lays down a clear legal framework for ethical surrogacy practices in India. It ensures the well-being of both the surrogate mother and the intended parents. The Act prohibits commercial surrogacy, meaning no financial compensation can be exchanged beyond reasonable expenses incurred by the surrogate mother.
