Hyderabad: A unified online portal covering surrogacy, assisted reproductive technology (ART/IVF) and pre-conception and pre-natal diagnostic techniques (PCPNDT) was launched by the health department on Tuesday to streamline registration and enhance transparency.The portal seeks to plug gaps in tracking, licensing and regulatory oversight, which were exposed in a surrogacy and baby-selling racket that unfolded at Universal Srushti Fertility Centre in Hyderabad in July 2025. Earlier, couples opting for surrogacy were faced with a mountain of tedious red tape — obtaining medical approvals, court permissions and interviews, and shuttling between multiple govt offices — causing delays and inefficiencies. The new portal seeks to eliminate these hurdles by acting as a one-stop centre, allowing applicants to upload documentation online and visit offices only when strictly necessary, such as during interviews. Timelines and notifications would also be clearly communicated on the portal, which is expected to go live soon.Moreover, the portal will also cater to facilities seeking licences to operate under surrogacy and ART regulations. “Institutions can now apply online, upload required documents, and undergo scheduled inspections before licences are issued. In addition, regulatory mechanisms such as PCPNDT inspections are being digitised. Inspection checklists, reporting, automatic notice generation for violations, and tracking of responses are all integrated into a single system, ensuring transparency and accountability. This is expected to significantly reduce manual processes and improve governance,” said S Sangeetha Satyanarayana, commissioner, health and family welfare department.Officials said such a system was required particularly after the Srushti fertility racket. “At that time, information had to be retrieved manually, and there was no centralised way to verify facility operations or approvals. The newly developed portal addresses these shortcomings and has already been tested. A full-scale rollout is expected soon, with provisions to resolve any initial operational issues during implementation,” said a senior health department official.Meanwhile, the department also launched a Clinical Establishments Act (CEA) portal to bring licensing processes online for hospitals and other health facilities. Once operational, hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centres, IVF centres and surrogacy providers will be required to register through the portal instead of visiting district medical and health officer (DMHO) offices.
