3-year health insurance plan for surrogate mothers: Government
Recently, the central government has made a 3-year health insurance scheme mandatory for surrogate mothers. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a new notification under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Rules 2022.
According to this notification:
- The intending couple will have to purchase a general health insurance cover for the surrogate mother from an insurance company or agent. This insurance company or agent should be recognized by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
- This should cover the cost of all complications including pregnancy and post-delivery complications.
- The number of attempts of any surrogacy procedure on the surrogate mother shall not exceed three times.
- During the process of surrogacy, the surrogate mother can be allowed to have an abortion as per the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act,
A woman can opt for surrogacy only on the following grounds:
- if she does not have a uterus, or has an abnormal uterus or
- If the uterus has been surgically removed due to a medical condition such as gynecological cancer.
The Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021 governs the practice and procedure of surrogacy in India. Under this, commercial surrogacy is strictly prohibited. Only altruistic surrogacy can be resorted to.
Challenges:
- Exploitation of surrogate mothers,
- Unhygienic living conditions and
- Inappropriate behavior.
Source – The Hindu
