AP Govt suspends 3 doctors in connection with baby-selling racket

Vijayawada: Following their arrest in connection with an illegal surrogacy and baby-selling racket, the Andhra Pradesh Health Department has suspended three doctors for their alleged involvement in the case.

According to The Hindu, the suspended doctors include Dr. Vasupalli Ravi, Head of the Anaesthesia Department at Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam; Dr. P Usha Devi, Associate Professor in the Gynaecology Department; and Dr. A. Vidyullatha, Assistant Professor in Paediatrics at Srikakulam Government Medical College.

The three were allegedly linked with the Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, where a large-scale illegal surrogacy and baby-selling racket was reportedly operated by Dr. A. Namratha, owner of a chain of fertility clinics across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

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Police alleged that the suspended doctors supported the illegal practices at the fertility centre, and supported procedures that defrauded childless couples in the name of IVF and surrogacy. Each played a specific role: Dr. Ravi oversaw anaesthesia, Dr. Usha provided obstetric care at the fertility centre.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that Hyderabad police had busted the racket, arresting eight people, including Dr. Namratha and the biological parents of a baby. The racket came to light after a couple who paid Rs 35 lakh for surrogacy found through a DNA test that the baby they received wasn’t biologically theirs. The main accused, Dr A. Namratha, along with associates and agents, targeted vulnerable women, particularly those seeking abortions, and lured them into continuing pregnancies in exchange for money and other reasons. These newborns were then passed off as children conceived through surrogacy, misleading clients into believing the babies were biologically theirs.

The scam unfolded after the couple met Dr Namratha, who, after conducting fertility-related tests, advised them to go for surrogacy. The couple was directed to another branch of the clinic at Vishakapatnam for the collection of specimens and were told that the surrogate would be arranged by the clinic, and the embryo would be transplanted to the surrogate.

Over the course of nine months, the couple made several payments to the clinic. In June this year, the complainant was informed that the surrogate had delivered a baby boy via C-section in Vishakapatnam. Overall, the clinic took over Rs 35 lakh from the couple as consultation charges for the procedures.

The baby boy was handed over to the complainant along with documentation, which showed the registration of the child as having been born to the couple themselves after creating a "false" birth certificate document. The baby was not shown as a child born to a surrogate, which drew their suspicion. Later, the couple went in for a DNA test, which revealed that the child’s DNA did not match theirs. When the couple tried to get in touch with the clinic, they were refused any documentation and were threatened, which prompted them to approach the police.

After nearly a month and a half, questions have been raised over the delay in taking action against the doctors. The government clarified that it received information about their arrest and judicial remand from the Telangana police only on August 28, leaving it with no choice but to act at this point, reports The Hindu.

Now, the Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Monday instructed the officials to place the three under suspension from the date of their arrest, since he fears that their presence and the continuation of their services might cause a hindrance to the investigation.

Also read- Another surrogacy racket busted in Hyderabad; 6 fertility clinics under lens