KATHMANDU, July 16: Authorities have launched an investigation into two fertility clinics in Kathmandu accused of illegally collecting eggs from underage girls and selling them to infertile couples for up to Rs 2 million.
According to Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Hope Fertility and Diagnostic Pvt. Ltd. in Babarmahal and Angel Fertility Clinic in Maharajgunj are at the center of the probe. Both clinics allegedly harvested eggs from girls under 18 and transferred them to clients seeking assisted reproduction.
According to the CIB, five individuals, including three doctors from Hope Fertility- Dr Asim Adhikari, Dr Swasti Sharma, and Dr Malina Chaudhary along with agents Justina Pradhan and Alisha Oli, were initially detained but later released on court-ordered bail.
Case filed at SC over lack of regulation in IVF and surrogacy c...
One person associated with Angel Fertility Clinic is also being investigated under similar charges.
Police reports suggest that Justina Pradhan, a 20-year-old agent at Hope Fertility, recruited menstruating teenage girls on their third day of the cycle, accommodated them at the clinic for 10 days, and subjected them to a series of hormone injections. On the 13th day, the girls were sedated, and their eggs extracted without proper legal or medical oversight.
Each girl was reportedly paid around Rs 15,000, while agents received Rs 40,000 per case. Meanwhile, the clinics charged infertile couples up to Rs 2 million for the procedures.
The investigation was prompted by complaints from parents after several girls began experiencing weight loss and appetite issues following the procedures. So far, two formal complaints have been filed with the CIB.
Police are now pursuing legal action under child protection laws and continuing their inquiry into what appears to be a major breach of medical ethics and child rights under the guise of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) services.
