Jaipur: The state govt Tuesday suspended registration of nine assisted reproductive technology and surrogacy centres of Neelkanth Fertility and Women Care Hospital Private Limited for alleged prima facie violations of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021.Health and medical education minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said the state govt is ensuring strict compliance with prescribed standards and legal provisions in health services. The registrations of ART clinics, an ART bank and a surrogacy clinic operated by the hospital group have been suspended with immediate effect until further orders.Principal secretary (health and medical education) Gayatri Rathore said the action followed an advertisement published in a newspaper for an IVF, fertility and test tube baby centre. The advertisement allegedly showed an embryo in blue colour, which the department considered prima facie linked to promotion of a male child and indicative of sex-selection-related services.Rathore said the ART Act imposes a complete statutory ban on sex selection and sex-selective ART procedures. Direct or indirect promotion of prohibited practices such as sex selection will not be tolerated, she added.The suspended registrations include ART Clinic Level-1 in Bhilwara; ART Clinic Level-2 facilities in Kota, Udaipur, Ajmer and Jodhpur; two ART Clinic Level-2 registrations in Jaipur; and the surrogacy clinic and ART bank in Jaipur.The department said ART and surrogacy services in Rajasthan must operate strictly in accordance with legal, regulatory and ethical standards. It added that strict action will continue against institutions found violating the rules, while ensuring safe, transparent and quality reproductive health services for patients.
