Thane mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar orders citywide inspection after illegal IVF centre found at hospital

THANE: A hospital in Thane has been found operating an unauthorised IVF centre, prompting authorities to order a comprehensive inspection of all such facilities and sonography centres across the city, officials said on Wednesday. The action comes in the wake of an illegal human “egg-selling” racket recently busted in the Badlapur area of Thane district in Maharashtra, accordint to news agency PTI. The Thane Municipal Corporation’s (TMC) health department carried out a raid on March 6 at the unlicensed IVF facility operating within a prominent local hospital, according to an official release."The centre's approval has been cancelled and three sonography machines at the facility have been sealed," it said. Taking serious note of the violations, Thane mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar convened a high-level meeting on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by TMC Chief Medical Health Officer Dr Prasad Patil and Shiv Sena group leader Pawan Kadam. “The mayor has directed the administration to immediately inspect all IVF and sonography centres within the Thane Municipal Corporation limits,” the release said. She also ordered the launch of a “special campaign against illegal sonography centres” to ensure strict compliance with medical safety norms. During the meeting, Dr Patil said, "Poor women were being coerced into producing excess eggs through hormonal injections in exchange for money. These were then extracted and sold for lakhs of rupees to childless couples." To ensure accountability, the mayor has mandated a strict monitoring mechanism."The administration should monitor the investigation regularly and submit a report every week. The action taken by the health department must be continued without interruption," the release said quoting the mayor.