Illegal assisted reproduction site busted in Changsha, another such case reported in recent months following Hangzhou, Wuhan
Schematic diagram (Photo: VCG)
An illegal facility in Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province, allegedly engaged in operations with human assisted reproductive technologies, has been sealed off after being reported by members of the public, the Xinhua News Agency reported. It is at least the third publicly reported crackdown in recent months involving sites suspected of illegally providing assisted reproductive services, following similar cases in Hangzhou and Wuhan.
According to a statement released Wednesday by the health commission of Yuelu district in Changsha, health authorities, together with the police, rushed to the site after receiving a public tip-off that an illegal facility in the area was engaged in operations with human assisted reproductive technologies.
The authorities sealed the site and took six people involved in the case into custody. An investigation and evidence-gathering process is currently underway, according to the statement.
The latest case follows a similar incident reported on Tuesday, when an underground site allegedly operating as an illegal assisted reproduction laboratory in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, was sealed off by authorities, with eight people taken into police custody, according to local health authorities.
Three months earlier, authorities in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, reported another case involving the suspected illegal use of human assisted reproductive technologies. Three suspects were detained in accordance with the law, and the case remains under further investigation, CCTV News reported.
Following the incident, the Hangzhou Municipal Health Commission launched a special campaign to crack down on the illegal use of human assisted reproductive technologies, conducting citywide inspections with a focus on unlicensed operations, illegal transactions, irregular business practices, and the illegal sale and operation of drugs and medical devices, local media reported.