With the Union Government clearing the draft Surrogacy Bill, 2016 few days ago, we take a sweeping glimpse on what different experts are saying on this significant and controversial subject, by having a look at how the human and commercial interests of Indian community and citizens have been ruptured because of this development in policy about which many do not seem to be happy:

Source: quotationof.com

a) Major recommendations for regulation of surrogacy industry as envisaged in proposed law

a) The Hindu editorial: The Union Cabinet has taken the first step towards regulation by approving the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, but it has many problematic provisions.

b) The Indian Express News Report: In its present form the Bill may end up denying millions of Indian women the opportunity to take advantage of advancements in medical science.

c) The Indian Express Analysis by Abantika Ghosh: “…while the government chose to point out celebrity “transgressions” of the proposed law, it is a fact that many women require surrogacy not because they are too fashionable to go through labour pains, but simply because their uterus will not allow them to carry a foetus to term. Statistics suggest 1 in 2,000 women may be incapable of doing so in a country like India.”

d) Indian Council of Medical Research perspective by Soumya Vishwanathan, ICMR Director General: “Any establishment found undertaking commercial surrogacy, abandoning the child, exploiting the surrogate mother, selling or importing a human embryo shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term not be less than 10 years and with a fine up to Rs.10 lakh. Registered surrogacy clinics will have to maintain all records for a minimum period of 25 years.”

e) Counterpoint by Roli Srivastava: “…government cannot be interfering with a woman’s reproductive rights, nor can it view this infertility treatment option through the lens of morality. Gynaecologists and infertility specialists also took offence to surrogacy being equated with indulgence as they said it is most often the last resort for people wanting a child.”

f) Contextualization-Report on Public Interest Litigation filed in 2015 by Supreme Court advocate Jayashree Wad challenging commercial surrogacy (report authored bySonali Kusum, Ph.D. student of National School of Bangalore)

g) For the record: PIB Press Conference by External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj briefing about new Surrogacy Bill (also see PIB Press Release)

Narayan Lakshman of The Hindu decodes NSSO data to paint a grim picture of India`s primary health case service to find that more poor people go to private clinics than public clinics…

It is well known that the entire public healthcare system, from tertiary care hospitals in large cities to Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in rural areas, is riddled with manpower shortages and inadequate supply of critical drugs and blood, so much so that one healthcare expert with senior government experience described PHCs as the place “where poor people go to die”. (See full report of 8th August, 16–here)

See also by Narayan Lakshman in recent series on dwindling heath care in India: MALADY NATION… “The experience of many patients such as Sanjiv leave little doubt that Tamil Nadu’s public healthcare system is a lifeline to vast numbers among the poorer sections of its population.” 

In a first-of-its-kind move in the country, Kerala has introduced a ‘fat tax’ on the consumption of junk food items like pizzas and burgers sold through branded restaurants.

The newly-elected LDF government imposed 14.5% tax on branded restaurants selling items like tacos, pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, among others. The announcement was made by state finance minister Thomas Isaac as a part of the newly-elected LDF government’s first State Budget presentation after being elected to power.

Continue reading further: HERE (also read here–> other countries taxing Fast-Food)

Credit: Business Standard, 8th July 2016 ——————————————

Why is it so difficult to consider mental illness as any other disease? There are many reasons for this. For one, psychiatry is a late admission to the ranks of medical specialities. Though psychiatry had its origins in neurology with Jean-Martin Charcot, Sigmund Freud and his seminal work on hysteria and the unconscious mind, they parted company almost immediately. The mind-brain dichotomy only added to the confusion. The mind was considered as the province of the philosopher, the theologian and now the psychologist, who did not have to be a specialist in medicine. Psychiatry suddenly became alien to the rest of medical science.

Complete Report by Bindu Menon @The Hindu, 25th July, 2016