Srinagar, Jul 2: The tragic death of a Baramulla woman at a private fertility centre in Srinagar has triggered a wider debate on the regulation of assisted reproductive technology (ART) services in Kashmir.
While the inquiry into the case is ongoing, the fact that a fertility center was allowed to function without mandatory registrations and licenses has come as a shocker for people and experts.
CMO Srinagar Dr Tahir Sajad said that a three member inquiry team had been constituted, and included apart from himself, Dr Ibrahim Nodal Officer IVF Kashmir and Dr Saba Wani, Assistant Director Health Services Kashmir as members. He said the report is expected to be ready by Friday. “Following report of the death, we immediately sealed the clinical establishment. However, on humanitarian grounds, for preventing losses of embryos and other human tissues of families currently undergoing treatment at the center, we have allowed it to operate for two days,” he said.
He said the IVF Centre had not obtained the mandatory registration. “Earlier, it operated from Karan Nagar, and has recently shifted to a location in Tengpora,” he said.
Harkaar IVF & Maternity Centre has been accused of "medical negligence" by the family of a 35 year old woman from Baramulla, undergoing fertility treatment at the center. The family has alleged that the Center took her in for a procedure under anesthesia, and "she passed away due to anesthesia." Her family members, in widely shared videos, have alleged that they were not even informed of her death and "misled" into shifting her for treatment to Super Specialty Hospital Srinagar. “They said she has already passed away,” a woman identifying as her sister-in-law has said.
The incident has drawn attention to the rapid growth of fertility centres across the Valley, amidst the rising infertility rates and increasing demand for assisted conception. The scenario has created a lucrative healthcare market, expanding faster than the government’s ability to monitor it.
Under the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, all ART clinics and banks must be registered with the local health authority. They must meet prescribed standards relating to infrastructure, staffing, record-keeping and patient safety. According to official records of DHSK, there are 16 registered IVF centers in Kashmir, 12 of these in Srinagar, one in Budgam and one in Kulgam. There is no clarity on how many more are operating without registration.
The Srinagar case has raised questions about how a centre allegedly lacking a valid registration continued to provide IVF services. It hints at lack of inspections and scrutiny on clinical establishments in Kashmir.
Health officials privately admit that the number of fertility clinics has increased significantly in recent years. However, they lament that specialised regulatory manpower has remained limited.
“Unlike hospitals, many IVF centres operate as stand-alone facilities. This makes continuous oversight more challenging,” a senior official in DHSK said. He said CMOs of all districts are mandated to watch and scrutinise the clinics in their jurisdiction. “How far they are able to do it needs to be ascertained,” he said, wishing anonymity.
For a growing number of couples, IVF is not just a medical procedure but their last hope after years of infertility. Treatment cycles cost several lakh rupees, repeated attempts and lack of a clear path and costs for subsequent IVFs make the practice ethically questionable at many centers. There is emotional vulnerability that stakeholders believe can create an uneven relationship between clinics and families.
“Families sell jewellery, land, take loans because they believe this is their only chance to have a child. Transparency and regulation is absolutely essential,” said a Srinagar-based gynaecologist. She said the larger issue is not about this one facility, but the absence of a visible and transparent regulatory framework for these centers.