HT Digital
GUWAHATI, MAY 24: In a major boost to Assam’s healthcare system, Health Minister Ashok Singhal on Friday issued official certificates to five hospitals, sanctioning them to open Surrogacy and Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) clinics throughout the state.
This development signals a new chapter in the state’s initiative to provide ethical and regulated reproductive healthcare.
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These institutions with certification are Apollo Fertility, Down Town Hospital, GMCH Fertility and IVF Centre, and The Institute of Human Reproduction — all situated in Guwahati — and Swasti Hospital, Rangia. These facilities are now allowed to establish ART clinics, ART banks, and surrogacy clinics subject to government regulation.
Minister Singhal termed the certification a “milestone in the health sector of Assam,” adding that the program would infuse hope in infertile couples. “With five certified surrogacy centres, the joy of childbirth will reach many, while ensuring ethical surrogacy practices,” he said. The program seeks to ensure the process of assisted reproduction is transparent, accountable, and in line with national legal frameworks.
This step is in line with the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, both launched by the Union government. These rules were notified in 2022. To complement these steps, Assam had already constituted the State Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Board, and the Appropriate Authority for ART and Surrogacy, in December 2023.
Emphasizing the significance of the shift, Singhal reaffirmed that the state’s topmost concern is providing a safe, ethical, and accessible route to parenthood for those who need it.
