Oocytes sale: TN health dept intensifies awareness

CHENNAI: After several incidents of women being forced to sell oocytes, the State Health Department is now working on intensifying awareness of these cases and how to prevent them.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian inaugurated the seminar on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Regulations Act, Tamil Nadu Clinical Establishments Act (TNCEA), and Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT).

The seminar was conducted for all joint directors of all district health departments that talked about artificial insemination centers, strengthening the future activities regarding them, legal action, continuous monitoring, recommendations and suggestions to prevent malpractices in artificial insemination centers.

Experts spoke about ART Act, 2021 and Surrogacy Act, 2021, followed by the release of Civil Medical List 2022 that the Health Minister handed over to the officials from the Directorate of Medical Services on Thursday.

"Through the seminar, various Joint Directors of Health Departments were briefed on the requirements of these three Acts and their impact on regulating IVF centers and monitoring their activities. There are already 190 artificial insemination centers operating in Tamil Nadu with general regulations regarding what kind of operations and regulations these hospitals should follow, " he said.

Regarding cases of Monkeypox, he said that surveillance work is being done intensively in all the 13 borders of Tamil Nadu with Kerala and screening is also being done. Tamil Nadu has not reported any case of Monkeypox so far, he added.

The Health Minister also inaugurated a program of free distribution of 4 lakh KN95 face masks worth Rs 1 crore, donated by Isha Foundation for the benefit of visitors to government hospitals in Tamil Nadu at DMS Complex. The masks were given to all district health directors in Tamil Nadu at the rate of 10,000 each and the remaining 20,000 face masks have been given to the public health department. They have also been instructed to provide the mask to patients, visitors and staff of district level government hospitals under their control.