IVF Clinics have many sides to their functioning. The success of making infertile couples into parents is the centerpiece but many considerations are surrounding it. There are scientific, economic, social and ethical concerns about the IVF treatment and the most critical aspect could be the legal tangle. IVF clinics function on a scientific premise where the patients are stimulated, embryos are made and transferred. The economic perspective can be the cost incurred and the charges applied whereas social and ethical sides would be something like the age factor. The legal domain can include taking crucial signatures of the couple before proceeding to any type of treatment and when we are doing the same, the availability of that necessary documentation with the patients is paramount for the successful functioning of the IVF center. Another controversial part of the ART system is the donor cycle and irregularities associated with them.

I had numerous experiences as lab personnel and establishing the identity of the patients was a tedious process. For example, while sending the patient for a semen sample collection, it is essential for us to check the identity and in many situations; I had a tough time ensuring the same. Couples have to go many times for any counseling sessions with the clinician but when they come to the lab side, the husband especially will have just a few visits. The identity can be difficult to ascertain and an error also can be on the cards. In the majority of the cases, the patients are authentic but then one bad apple can spoil the whole applecart and this may put the clinic in unnecessary legal problems. The same aspect is attributed when clinicians recruit young donors for an OD cycle. The age limit is 18 years and sometimes to verify the same might be a hassle. A mandatory identity proof has to be made compulsory that will enhance the overall process and a city in India has taken this important step.

Indore has made an excellent provision where Aadhaar card is now a must when you are opting for any service in an ART clinic in the city. Further to that, oocyte or semen donors will have to be registered with the Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT) cell. Aadhaar card will speed the process of patient identification and remove any glaring loopholes in the clinic. However, the registration of the donors will certainly be a boon as a lot of contentious issues regarding these cycles will be taken care of. There was a dire need to strengthen the existing rules like negligence, such as not maintaining the records of oocyte donors collection or testing them for viral markers. Owing to the absence of a basic foundational structure to resolve these problems, it was difficult for clinics to be serious enough about documenting this process. This guideline will ensure to solve the shortcomings of the administration as registering on a website is compulsory for a donor. This will get them an ID from a local PCPNDT cell and the necessary clearance. The registration will also ensure a tracking procedure of when and where the donation concerning sperm or oocyte was done as especially in the latter, a considerable time gap is necessary before the next scheduled donation. Absence of registration will make it impossible for clinics to operate these cycles and transparency will be imbibed.

The administration has also been asked to check for the six month window period for viral and sexually transmitted diseases and has rendered testing mandatory even for a few genetic disorders like Thalassemia. In addition to these guidelines, Art Clinics have been instructed to follow the existing rules defined under the National guidelines for Accreditation, supervision, and Regulation of ART clinics in India, 2005. Along with this procedure, maintaining birth data too has been included.

This step taken by the city of Indore is laudable and must be replicated over the country especially in remote and second-tier cities which are facing many irregularities in these areas. As the possibility of ART bill coming into fruition is on the cards, such regulatory oversight help in increasing the efficiency of the IVF treatment in the country and will also help boost the image concerning medical tourism.

References:

https://ehealth.eletsonline.com/2019/12/over-10-of-youth-under-mental-illness/

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