Surrogacy in India now legally vague for gays and singles!

To learn more about Surrogacy Mexico, visit our landing page www.mexicansurrogacy.com 
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To learn more about our Surrogacy in Thailand program visit:  www.affordablesurrogates.com

So I woke up this morning to an interesting article.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/govt-set-to-allow-visas-to-singles-too-for-surrogacy/1121434/

Yay, I thought at first, things will start flowing in India again.  But then I took another look and I am very discombobulated First we have the following statement: Easing the surrogacy norms for foreigners, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has proposed that besides married couples, individuals — whether male or female — should also be allowed visas for the purpose. Fine, but currently married couples have to be married for a minimum of two years. Is that still the case? Not clear. Then the article goes on to say: The new rules will, however, continue to bar gay or lesbian couples from hiring surrogate mothers in India. But one of the partners, either male or female, can get a medical visa. So, let me see if I am clear, Gays and lesbians are banned from surrogacy in India? Ok Check! But ONE OF THE PARTNERS, could I guess pretend to be NOT gay? And then take a chance? But what if there is a visa issue and they cannot leave the country with their baby because one of the parents is gay? Am I being alarmist? Well, judging by the latest issue I am having with one of my clients whose baby is expected on June 15th 2013, and has not had their visa STILL after 7 weeks of trying then I cannot begin to comprehend how easy the process might be. Here is an example of what this poor couple is going through (Just a heads up -- they are a heterosexual couple that has been married for over 9 years.

The ordeal of getting an Indian Visa for Surrogacy

: MAY 10th 2012 Hugh D W May 10 to Geoff, me, Becky Geoff, So, I have a couple of questions... Worst case scenario, what are our options if we aren't able to obtain our visas by the time our due date arrives? Why doesn't the clinic in India just have a standard form letter that states that they are indeed an approved ART clinic, and just give them to all expectant parents getting a visa? And here was the response: From: "Ingrid Thomas" Date: Tue, 14 May 2013 08:51:01 -0400 To: ReplyTo: Subject: RE: gynaecworld accreditation by ICMR Hi Geoff, Your visa agent of choice will need to update the application but will be happy to forward it again to the Consulate for processing once it is returned to our office. I would advise to make sure that documentation demonstrating that treatment will be done in Dr. Bansal’s facility and that it is a registered Assisted Reproductive Technology(ART) clinics recognized by Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) is present. If the Government of India issued the facility a document proving registration or issued registration number, this should be present as well. Thank you, Ingrid Thomas General Manager Travisa Outsourcing We received the letter from the clini that was required on the 16th and this was resubmitted. We were told it was under review every time we checked, and then this: Date: Wed, 29 May 2013 13:34:42 -0400 To: ReplyTo: Well on the 1st of June, we got word that this would-be parent's surrogate went int labor and we begged and pleaded for the visa and still no luck. Again, let me remind you that this couple has been married for over 9 years and are male and female and they are STILL getting jerked around. Now their baby may arrive 10 days early and the stupid Indian visa office in all their grand pomposity still refuse to grant them a visa. PlanetHospital is happy to provide surrogacy in India, but with all that is happening, I strongly urge you all to look at our facilities in Thailand and Mexico. For more information vist: www.mexicansurrogacy.com or www.affordablesurrogates.com for other Thailand or others. However, foreign nationals will have to obtain medical visas for the purpose of surrogacy. They cannot use tourist visas."The new rules will, however, continue to bar gay or lesbian couples from hiring surrogate mothers in India.

Surrogacy Mexico is taking off

To learn more about Surrogacy Mexico, visit our landing page www.mexicansurrogacy.com 

As pioneers of surrogacy, we wish we thought of sending people to Mexico for surrogacy a long time ago.  We first explored it in 2010 but were told it was not possible, that is until I learned about a senator in Mexico who had a child through surrogacy IN Mexico.  Once I learned about this, I quickly started to explore this avenue further and learned about the only state that offered it -- Tobasco.

I hired an awesome attorney who helped me navigate the intricacies of Mexican surrogacy and I initially met with a company that I thought I would do business with.  I met a fellow named Carlo Rosillo and his brother.  When we met them we were told we had to hire a notary for $5,000 to get the process started and that the surrogate had to be paid $25,000 of which we would pay $1500/month for the first 9 months and then the balance when the parents had legal possession of the child.  By the time we had dinner with them, the rate turned to $7,500 for the "notary fees" and the entire $25,000 had to be paid over 9 months.  I am sure most of that went to these two clowns that my partner dubbed the "gangster brothers." Undaunted we started exploring on our own. and by December 1, we had all the pieces in place and were going to launch on Feb 1, 2013. 

And then suddenly the INDIAN SURROGACY BAN HAPPENED on December 18th and we were so tempted to introduce surrogacy in Mexico as an alternative to India.  It was kinda scary at first we were not ready and we did not want to announce it till were ready and so we waited till February 1 2013 to announce our foray into surrogacy in Mexico.  For the most part we have been blessed with good fortune thanks to our preparedness.  But fools are rushing in.  One of the first vendors we got rid of was Dr Adrian Flores who basically have an office that has a desk and an icebox!   Dr Adrian of Insemer was supposed to do our surrogate recruitment and prep but five out of five surrogates did not get pregnant and we cut him off completely.  He has one surrogate pregnant but that surrogate NEVER HAD CHILDREN OF HER OWN!!!  So it begs the question what kind of recruitment are they doing? We told them to send surrogates to Cancun by flight but they took our money for airfare and put her on a bus.  We presumed that they did a psychological screening of the surrogate but it turned out that one of the surrogates was telling our coordinator that her friends were going to throw a baby shower for her once she got pregnant,  As soon as we heard that we sent that surrogate packing! Why?  Because this surrogate was not counselled properly about not having any relationship with this child -- so why was she wanting a shower for a child that would not belong to her!?  

We have no doubt that Adrian and Insemer will start a surrogacy company of their own and they will probably undercut us initially but soon they will learn that without real and happy pregnant clients, the ability to attract clients diminish.  We are very excited by the promise that Mexican surrogacy brings but we are also scared about the fools that will rush in to make a quick buck -- just like India all over again! And we will do everything we can to prevent that from happening -- even if it means naming names!

Hip surgery in India? Insurance may pay

PlanetHospital was featured in the article Hip Surgery in India? Insurance may pay on NBCNEWS.com.

Top-notch care, a fraction of the cost That’s certainly been the case for Mason, 43, whose $20,000 body lift in Panama last July included about $7,500 for surgery to remove a large flap of skin from her abdomen, a procedure called a panniculectomy. Because the excess flesh led to potentially dangerous skin infections, the surgery was deemed a medically necessary procedure, one that could be covered by her federal Blue Cross health insurance plan. 

Mason paid the bill herself for the rest of the surgery, including breast augmentation and thigh lifts. Because her surgeries would have totaled $50,000 to $75,000 back home, she contracted with Planet Hospital, a California-based medical tourism service, to research the alternatives abroad.

Planet Hospital, which also arranged care for Ryerson and Davies, has been offering medical tourism services since 2002. Of the nearly 2,000 patients they've served since  2006, nearly three dozen have had some or all of their care covered by insurance, said Rudy Rupak, president and founder.

“It’s outrageous here, the cost of medical care,” Mason said. Additionally, many U.S. doctors seem to have forgotten that they’re providing a service, added Mason, who described one plastic surgeon she interviewed as “an egotistical ass.” 

Not so with Dr. Louis Picard-Ami, a Florida-certified plastic surgeon who also practices in Panama. After checking out his credentials and the hospital’s safety record, Mason decided to go ahead with the surgery.

Not only was Picard-Ami technically proficient, he was kind and the amenities were luxurious, said Mason. Her hospital room was as lavish as any elegant hotel suite and her care included round-the-clock services of a private nurse.

“I just think that others need to be aware that they are able to have a safe procedure done out of the country for a price at a third the cost,” she said.

Ryerson, 61, said her private Blue Cross plan paid 80 percent of a $7,000 hip resurfacing surgery in Chennai, India, that would have been about $55,000 in the U.S. — if she could get it at all.
In 2006, the hip resurfacing device necessary for her surgery had just been approved for U.S. use by the federal Food and Drug Administration and not many domestic doctors had experience with it. Dr. Vijay Bose, her U.K.-certified surgeon in India, had performed the surgery more than 1,100 times.
“Doctors here didn’t know what they didn’t know and I didn’t want to be a guinea pig," she said.
While she was there, Ryerson also had cosmetic surgery and dental work done at her own expense.


 Read the full article here:

(http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25415614/ns/health-health_care/t/hip-surgery-india-insurance-may-pay/#.UW7tVVcePx1)

Shalom Israel

I am 11 countries away from reaching the “Century Club”, this a group of us who have visited at least a 100 countries in their lifetime (and a layover does not count), now medical tourism has helped me visit many of these amazing places and it is because of this that people ask me what is my favorite country to visit.  That’s a tough question to answer because there are so many.  Until my altercation with a crazy street vendor from Patpong, Thailand was on that list, Kochi was so tranquil, and I can’t get enough of Dubai, but I now have to say I am really fascinated by Israel, it definitely ranks as one of my favorite places to visit and I intend to visit often.  I felt safe there (interesting fact that the NRA might use in their arsenal -- the reason crimes, thefts, and rapes are so low in Israel is because most everyone is either armed or ex-military) and the people were incredibly warm without any interest in ones pocketbook.  Geoff and I were walking back from our Israeli Surrogacy conference, Men Having Babies, and we were clearly disoriented (and jet lagged), and since it was shabbat there was not a taxi to be found that easily. 

Two young guys wearing orthodox black approached us and asked if we were lost.   Normally, we here in the US would probably have our guard up but we decided to trust them and these guys literally walked us to our hotel even if it was out of their way.  We learned so much about them and Israel in twenty minutes.  They were studying in a Rabbinical University, but were planning on going on to study law, one of them was already accepted to Yale Law!   They had no idea that Israel attracts close to half a million Russian medical tourists, or that gays could have babies through surrogacy in Israel – which were the reasons we were there.

Earlier that day, we went to the Assuta Hospital in Tel Aviv and visited a center that did 11,000 IVF cycles in one year.  They also have world class spine and colo-rectal surgeons.  Very fascinating.  We look forward to bringing them to our network this quarter. 

The Gay Lesbian Center in Tel Aviv was such a friendly and cool place.  While we clear stuck out as non-Israeli and straight, they did what they could to make us feel welcome.  Just around the corner was a sandwich shop in a tin shack.  Since Geoff and I are adventurous foodies, we gave it a go and OMFG this was one of the best sandwiches and salads I have ever had; and it was chased by KILLER DELICIOUS oatmeal cookies.  Being at this event was remarkably fortuitous for us because when we arrived several gay couples were shell-shocked by the fact that India no longer offered surrogacy for gays (to be honest, I am also puzzled, this dumbass move by India was like an elephant dart in the face of logic).  While there were a few American companies offering US surrogacy and a few who offered India, we were the only ones to offer SURROGACY IN MEXICO and the attendees were thrilled but they found it too good to be true but when we showed them the by-laws and articles regarding Mexican surrogates and egg donors, there was less anxiety.  The only drawback for the Israelis when it comes to surrogacy is post-natal emergencies.  For an American or Canadian, if ones surrogate-delivered baby got sick and sent to neo-natal intensive care then all they have to do is pay out of pocket and get reimbursed by their insurance when they get home.  But not so in Israel.  If an Israeli couple decide to do surrogacy and their baby becomes ill, Israeli public health care will not pay for the baby’s care. I am going to have to find a solution for that. 

The Men Having Babies Conference in Israel was a great success for us because we left Israel with two clients on board and we expect about 10 more to follow in the next three months.  We are planning on bringing the surrogacy attorney from Israel that was attending the conference so that she can unbiasedly confirm that Mexico is not “too good to be true” for surrogacy but rather PERFECT for surrogacy!

On the last day of our Israeli trip we decided to visit Jerusalem.  What a magical place!  I was humbled to walk in a place that was holy to three religions (wish Buddha visited here too when he could have just to mix things up a little more).  It was interesting to walk where Jesus walked, was crucified (you can put your hand down the actual hole) and born (Bethlehem being adjacent).  We went to the Wailing Wall where Jews came to pray and leave wishes (Fortune Cookie manufacturers take note!).  Geoff described it as a Jewish Mecca.  I didn’t realise it at first but I was wearing a “Pink Floyd the Wall” hoodie at the wall.  How coincidental is that eh?  And in the tchotchke caverns the Imam’s call to prayers echoed beautifully and magically.

We passed by spice salesmen who were smoking over their wares (awesome!), and when we saw the sign for the “Emperor of Shawarma” well we just HAD TO stop and eat there.  The "emperor" chain smoked as he rolled the goat kababs in his sweaty nose-pickin hand, occasionally stopping to wipe those very hands on his shirt which doubled as an apron.  His son wiped utensils with newspapers, and Geoff and I had that “oh shit” moment and contemplated what the public restrooms might be like here.  However when the food came we were blown away by how good it was.  Like I said earlier we are adventurous foodies.  We know that the risk of consuming this street-side food would be the certainty of nausea and the squirts but when the food is this good, the risk is worth it.  While in Jerusalem two potential clients contacted us, they wanted to meet us to discuss going forward with the surrogacy.  Wow!

And so we cut our visit to Jerusalem short, I stocked up on Dead Sea products for all the women in my life and their friends, and then proceeded to meet three clients back.  Two for surrogacy and one for a kidney procedure.  I can't wait to return to this magical place.

Our note on the negative posts about our surrogacy program

Attracting Surrogate Clients to India

Every year (with the exception of last year) I take my staff to a new place for a Christmas/Festivus dinner and a chance to see one of our hospital partners.  In 2007, it was Tijuana to visit our dental partners, Dr Quintinella, and then the Angeles Hospital.  For dinner we decided to go to the renowned Rosarito Lobster Village called Lorenzellos and had reservations for the 14 of us.  No soon did we pull up to the main drag where our restaurant was that our limo was surrounded by people at least two dozen of them, banging on the limo, trying to persuade us to eat at THEIR restaurant instead of the one we had the reservations to.  It was like something out of a zombie movie, we found it hilarious but we dare not stop or open the door. I mean if M Night Shyamalan were to make a zombie film with Will Ferrell, this would be the audience reaction he would be going for. We fortunately reached Lorenzellos, glad that the driver did not run over one of the Latino lobster shrilling zombies, and enjoyed our festivus meal (they even made vegan lobster for one of us).  I had asked our maitre 'd about the incident and he tells me that these "dinner wranglers" are paid $2.00 for every patron they bring through the door.  "No salary?" I ask dumbfounded?  "Nope, no salary just $2 per patron, which is then tacked onto the patron's meal anyways.  Wow, what a way to earn a living!  "Sadly though they do succeed."  According to the Maitre D'.  "But we will never do that, we are Lorenzellos, we have been doing this for the last 40 years and if good quality and great service is important to them they will find us, if they just want a cheap meal, those hustlers can oblige."

So, now that India has banned surrogacy for all but hetero couples who are married for two years, these couples may experience what we did back in Rosarito in '07.  If you fit the category and you approach more than two surrogacy companies, you will be cyber-mobbed by the Indian surrogacy nazis.  So I decided that we will not target you with our marketing dollars. When it comes to Indian surrogacy, we will be Lorenzellos.  If you want the assistance of a company that pioneered surrogacy in India and knows it way around the legalities of the process then we here at PlanetHospital.com will provide you with the impeccable service that many of our clients praise us for and use our experience to guide you.  We will also provide you with options in Mexico, Thailand and Panama.  We understand what you need and what you are looking for and it is our pleasure to make it happen stres free, and we will even throw in a free pizza for you (click here to see what the heck we are talking about).

The Nigerian Medical Tourism Scam

For a few weeks now a strange fellow came to us with a strange request.  His "client" was disfigured in an accident and wanted to have her surgery done in discretion,  Fair enough, seemed like a crazy episode of Nip/Tuck but then it got weirder and weirder and weirder and weirder and weirder.  Till I realised it was an a Nigerian Scam (as in the call ACTUALLY originated from Nigeria -- not a jingoistic conclusion).  Normally, for HIPAA Compliance we try not to disclose names of clients, today I will make an exception so that scambags like this are not allowed to fester (but this ass will probably change his name next time around).    Here is my correspondence with colour commentary along with it:

So Mr Moore (aka: Mr Nigerian Scam artist) sent me an uworkable UK # and then a US # when it did not work.  

To: Flotechline@yahoo.com

Mr Moore

Dr Feldman and I tried to call you today and was unable to reach you. The number provided to us was +4477 0006 1480. Being from the UK I re-dialed as +447710006 1480. but that went to a different bloke.

Rudy

To Which Mr Moore, Nigerian accent and all, called and left us a message to call:

Jerry Moore

Dear Ruby,

 How are you, Having discussed with my client. she has agreed to travel to Spain if China is not acceptable for you .More also i have concluded with her that the surgery services will cost a total of 5.5 million euros and she agreed to pay . Now i wish to let you know that i will offer you 20% of the fund apart from your 60,000 surgery charges to assist me cover up my part in the deal to avoid my client finding out my involvement.

 However my client states that her payment shall be in cash to avoid notice as she as faced a lot of financial violation criticism  after her late husband death who happens to be a formal president. She wishes to contact you to confirm exactly my discussion with her. I wish to conclude agreement with you before that. Get back to me as soon as possible.

Best Regards

Jerry Moore  

Well, long story short, "Mr Moore" told me that the client was willing to pay $500,000 for this surgery but I had to pay him a commission of $50,000 for making it happen and I am to give him $10,000 now and the balance once I receive payment.

this was my reply:

Dear Mr Moore

When I woke up this morning, I told myself how lucky and fortunate I must be to have come across your opportunity. I know there are many scam artists from Nigeria but like our former president said about Putin, I can look into your soul (mind if I call you Vlad Mr Moore? in honour of our former president?).  Anyways Vlad, so sure, send us an invoice and let's really make this happen.  Do you think we should bill her 1 kajillion Spanish dollars instead? Or maybe 10 Brazilian Spanish dollars?  I am not sure how many zeros there are in a Brazlian but i will go on BING and look it up (google did not have this info if you can believe it, but that's why I love Bing (did I mention that I could look into Bing's soul and I would see Chandler?).  Anyways, let me know if you want me to wire it to you or Western Union it to you but two things, I think you should ask the client to put the 1 Kajillion into the Spanish account or the 10 Brazilian, you are a great salesperson, you can tell me what she agrees to.  Oh I just checked Bing and it seems that 10% of 10 Brazilian is 2 million samolians.  We will be so rich after that, we will never have to work again? What do you plan to do with your 2 million samolians?  I have always wanted to raise Emus for their eggs.  Ever had an omelette with emu eggs? It's tough to crack but it is so worth it.  I usually smash it against my forehead that does the trick. I am also thinking of hiring Robert DiNiro to be in a short film.  I was told that DiNiro can make reading the phone book interesting and so I want to test that theory out and see if it is so.  I can already picture it by the time he gets to W he would be like Wong, Ann, Wong, Andy, Wong, Bill...and then he would look at the camera and do that face he does from Taxi Driver (you know the "hey are you talking to me?" face) and say "hey that's a lot of Wong numbers."  Won't that be awesome Vlad?  Anyways, well, I gotta go, I need to milk some goats for my coffee because I am all out of coffee mate.


Well I thought he would live me the F alone after that rant but Noooo...here is what this genius comes up with.  

From: Jerry Moore <flotechline@yahoo.com>

Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:36:13 -0800 (PST)

To: Rudy Rupak<rudy@planethospital.com>

Subject: Re: tried to call you

Dear Ruby,

 I called you but unfortunately your were not available. I appreciate your kind words, thank you so much.  I have a confession to make and that is I see your soul too and it is very kind and help-worthy.  However, I must say that I spoke to your competitors also such as Medjourneys and the Kiranclinic and they said that they would be willing to pay me 25% of the 10 Brasilian Spanish Dollars they would earn.  However, getting them to commit to a deposit was frustrating, they sent me a purchase order showing their good intention but if you can beat them to it by sending me $10,000 by western union in good faith then the deal is yours and I would honor my commitments to you and you can pay me less than what Medretreat offered.  If this is suitable, please send $9,999 to my accountant, Mr Femi Kumle in Lagos Nigeria.  You have 4 hours to comply to this request.

Thanks
Jerry Moore


Well you have to give him kudos for trying. So I western unioned $10 to this guy but first I had to get his address and contact details and once I succeeded  I told Western Union yes it is scam but I am going forward with it so that they can arrest the f)*&knuts when he tried to claim it.

I wonder how Nigerian Prison is treating my friend Vlad.

I wonder if they give PhDs out for suffering fools gladly.