Doctor linked to baby selling racket practised without valid license? Here's what Telangana Medical Council said
Hyderabad: The Telangana State Medical Council has revealed that the doctor who was recently arrested for being involved in an illegal surrogacy and baby-selling racket operating under the name of a Hyderabad-based fertility clinic, had been suspended for five years in 2016 over surrogacy irregularities. After that, the accused doctor did not renew her registration after expiry and despite...
Hyderabad: The Telangana State Medical Council has revealed that the doctor who was recently arrested for being involved in an illegal surrogacy and baby-selling racket operating under the name of a Hyderabad-based fertility clinic, had been suspended for five years in 2016 over surrogacy irregularities. After that, the accused doctor did not renew her registration after expiry and despite this, she allegedly continued running IVF clinics in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, Telangana Today has reported.
Doctors familiar with the development informed the Daily that the accused doctor's registration number with the combined Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Medical Council was 37457.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported how Hyderabad police arrested eight individuals, including a fertility specialist and the owner of a chain of clinics across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Dr. A Namratha was the prime accused doctor and the owner of the fertility clinic.
Also Read: Hyderabad Surrogacy racket busted: Doctor, 7 others arrested in baby-selling scam
The racket came to light after a couple discovered through a DNA test that the child, supposedly born through surrogacy, was not theirs, prompting them to approach the police.
The doctor, along with associates and agents, reportedly targeted vulnerable women, particularly those seeking abortions, and lured them into continuing pregnancies in exchange for money and other reasons, police said. These newborns were then passed off as children conceived through surrogacy, misleading clients into believing the babies were biologically theirs.
As per the latest media report by Telangana Today, the Telangana Medical Council (TGMC) had issued a five-year suspension to Dr. Namratha in 2016 after a complaint was lodged alleging irregularities in surrogacy practices. Confirming this, senior TGMC office bearers stated on Monday, "The doctor was suspended and her registration was cancelled following complaints of irregularities in surrogacy. She was given a five-year suspension."
"Interestingly, Dr Namratha did not bother to renew her registration with us after the suspension period," they added.
Speaking to The South First, Dr. G Srinivas, the Vice Chairperson of TGMC, said, "Since 2016, she has not held a valid registration in Telangana. Her renewal was rejected in 2021 because a case was pending in court involving serious violations, including the use of unrelated babies presented as surrogacy births, which were later disproven by DNA testing."
Confirming that Dr. Namratha has not been a registered medical practitioner in Telangana since 2016, Dr. Srinivas explained, "She last registered with the Telangana Medical Council in 2016. After that, she did not renew her registration. She was suspended in 2016, and when she came again for renewal in 2021, the council denied her registration because a criminal case against her was still pending in court."
He further revealed that the doctor was suspended after a serious incident involving a foreign couple. "She had cheated a US-based couple — in fact, both couples in that case — by giving them the false belief that the baby born was theirs. However, when a DNA test was conducted, it was found that the child had no biological relation to the intended parents," Dr. Srinivas said.
When the case was reported to the Council, based on its findings, Dr. Namratha was suspended for five years. "After the five-year suspension period ended, she again applied for renewal. But since the court case was still pending, the registrar denied her request," Dr. Srinivas added.
"So, since 2016, she has not been registered as a medical practitioner anywhere in Telangana," he said.
Despite this, the doctor allegedly continued operating IVF facilities in Secunderabad, Kukatpally and Visakhapatnam. These facilities included the Universal Health Centres in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
Even though the clinic was branded as Shrusti Test Tube Baby Centre, officials in Andhra Pradesh have clarified that no such facility is registered under that name in Vijayawada or the broad NTR Vijaywada district.
Commenting on the matter, Dr Suhasini, District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) for NTR Vijaywada district, told South First that the recognised fertility facility in the district is named Universal Health Care, which is registered under the name of Dr Namratha Pachipala.
"In the entire NTR district, there is one registered surrogacy or ART facility — Universal Health Care — and it is not connected to anything named ‘Srushti’," Dr. Suhasini said, further adding, "There may be other centres operating, but under the official ART and Surrogacy Act registry, only this one clinic has been approved."
Dr. Suhasini also clarified that even after undergoing a fresh inspection, no irregularities were found at Universal Health Care. "All the necessary documentation was in place. No complaints have been received from this clinic in the district," she said, adding that the centre was functioning with 'licensed doctors', designated staff, and valid documentation.
In fact, a certificate was also issued by the District's Appropriate Authority under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, confirming that this registration for Universal Health Care- under the name of Dr. Namratha Pachipala- located at Kanchukota Vari Street, Near Benz Circle, Vijayawada, NTR District, and is valid from 16 November 2024 to 15 November 2027.
On Monday, the DMHO inspected the Universal Health Care Centre in Vijayawada and she told the Minister's office that "The centre was found closed with no staff present."
Issuing a statement on Monday, Andhra Pradesh Health Minister's office said, "The fact that the centre was shut down during a scheduled inspection raises further doubts. We will examine this thoroughly."
After irregularities at fertility centres came to light, Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav directed officials to conduct a detailed examination of all fertility clinics operating in the State and submit a comprehensive report. The Department has now been asked to compile data specifying how many centres have been approved by DMHOs in each district, how many are operating without permission, how many inspections were conducted in 2024-2025, how many complaints were received and what action was taken, how many centres were denied permission, and what mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance with ART regulations.
