NCDRC fines Delhi based hospital ₹1.5 crore for negligence during IVF

NCDRC fines Delhi based hospital ₹1.5 crore for negligence during IVF

Subject :Polity

Section :Legislation in news

Context: A West Delhi­ based hospital that botched up an in vitro fertilisation procedure (IVF) for a Hyderabad based couple, by using donor semen that did not belong to the husband, has been instructed by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) to cough up a fine of ₹1.5 crore for negligence and resorting to unethical practices

National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission:

• It is a quasi-judicial commission in India which was set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986.
• Its head office is in New Delhi.
• The Commission is headed by a sitting or a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India or a sitting or retired Chief Justice of the High Court.
• The Act mandates the establishment of Consumer Protection Councils at the Centre as well as in each State and District to promote consumer awareness.
• The Central Council is headed by the Minister In-charge of the Department of Consumer Affairs in the Central Government, and the State Councils by the Minister In-charge of Consumer Affairs in the State Governments.
• It also provides for a 3-tier structure of the National Commission, the State Commissions and the District Commissions for speedy resolution of consumer disputes.

What is in-vitro fertilisation (IVF)?

• It is a type of assisted reproductive technology (ART) where sperm and an egg are fertilised outside of the human body.
• It is a complex process that involves retrieving eggs from ovaries and manually combining them with sperm in a lab for fertilisation.
• Several days after fertilisation, the fertilised egg (now called an embryo) is placed inside a uterus. Pregnancy occurs when this embryo implants itself into the uterine wall.