Maharashtra to set up special task force against illegal IVF and sonography centres

Mumbai: Maharashtra Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar on Wednesday announced that the state government will set up a Special Task Force (STF) to launch a state-wide crackdown on illegal IVF and sonography centres.

Making the announcement in the state legislative assembly, the Minister also said the government was considering bringing such offences under the ambit of organised crime.

Replying to a question raised by Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi, the minister said the task force will conduct state-wide inspections to identify and take action against unauthorised centres.

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"The government is also considering bringing such offences under the ambit of organised crime. A law to this effect is expected to be introduced by the next session of the state legislature," he said, news agency PTI reported.

The minister said illegal IVF and sonography centres are being opened in large numbers without proper authorisation and the proposed STF will help regulate and curb such activities.

In response to the debate on filling vacancies in the rural health care sector, Abitkar said an order has been issued to recruit 1,400 doctors today, which is being celebrated as National Doctors' Day.

He admitted that many hospitals in rural areas were facing a staff crunch.

He said steps will be taken to improve infrastructure and equipment in rural health care centres.

Abitkar assured the House that pending COVID-19 dues of ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers and other frontline staff will be paid.

The assurance came after Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar urged that vacant posts in rural hospitals be filled immediately and pending payments to frontline workers, who served during the COVID-19 pandemic, be released without delay.

Wadettiwar said the Brahmapuri hospital was upgraded to a 100-bed facility, but a proposal to sanction 83 posts has remained pending for the last two years. As a result, despite having the required infrastructure, the hospital was unable to provide proper services due to lack of staff, he said.

He also said several hospital projects across Maharashtra are 50 to 70 per cent complete but are stalled because of lack of funds. He urged the government to provide funds on priority and increase the allocation for Primary Health Centres from the present Rs 1.6 crore to Rs 5 crore, saying many PHCs cater to 40 to 50 villages.

The Congress leader also raised the issue of pending COVID-19 allowances for anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, helpers and contractual employees who worked during the pandemic.

In his reply, Abitkar said the state has started the process of recruiting 1,400 doctors and appointments to newly sanctioned posts will be made soon.

He also assured the House that partially completed health projects would be given priority for funding and said the government would take a positive decision on clearing the pending dues of ASHA workers and contractual employees for their services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, in a written reply to a starred question raised by Shiv Sena legislator Murji Patel in the assembly, Abitkar admitted that it was "partially true" that some blood banks failed to regularly update details of their blood stock on the designated websites, but stressed no complaint had been received by the authorities from patients or their relatives over the issue.

Blood banks were mandatorily required to update their stock details on the websites every day, but some centres did not upload the information on time, he said.

However, the State Blood Transfusion Council said it had not received any complaint that patients or their relatives had to run from one blood bank to another in search of blood because of delays in updating the online stock information.

The minister also rejected the claim that blood had gone to waste due to non-updating of stock details.

He said that between January and May 2026, blood banks in Mumbai and Nashik had a total stock of 2,53,334 units of blood, of which 2,44,446 units were utilised.

Abitkar further said that as per the Centre's guidelines and a Maharashtra government circular issued in 2014, all government and private blood banks were required to provide blood free of cost to thalassaemia patients.

He said real-time information on blood stock was uploaded on the Centre's e-RaktKosh portal and the Maharashtra State Blood Transfusion Council website, and blood banks were monitored regularly to ensure timely updating of data.

The minister said blood banks violating the rules were penalised at the rate of Rs 1,000 per day under a government resolution. During 2025-26, fines totalling Rs 32.67 lakh were imposed on erring blood banks, he added.

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