IN DR Nayna Patel's office at her clinic in Anand, Gujarat, a makeshift altar sits on a shelf beside her desk, devoted to many gods and deities from all religions.

She has a Christian crucifix placed in the middle, alongside some figurines of Hindu gods; a small picture of guru Sai Baba pasted on the wall and, beside it, a framed photo of Mahatma Gandhi.

'I believe in all religions. It gives me spiritual calm and strength,' she says.

Most households in Anand have at least one of these figures on an altar. But sometimes, Dr Patel's picture sits there too. The women there revere the doctor so much they literally place her on a pedestal.

'I feel really bad about it but you can understand what they must have gone through to give me that respect,' she says.

The 49-year-old doctor recalls an Indian couple in their 30s so deep in financial despair they planned to commit suicide in front of a train, after leaving their three children at home. They decided to have their last meal - rice packed in a piece of newspaper - and by chance, saw an advertisement placed by Dr Patel.

The woman became a surrogate mother and that gave the couple and their three children a new lease of life.

Over the past six years, Dr Patel's Akanksha Infertility Clinic has helped many foreign women get a baby - and poor Indian women a better future.

Former surrogate mother Hansha, 39, got a small fortune in her terms - seven years' worth of her usual salary. 'Madam (Dr Patel) is like God to us. She helps us a lot,' says Hansha in her native tongue Gujarati. She delivered twins, a boy and a girl, for an American couple.

Dr Patel has won praise for helping get the surrogacy industry started in India. American talkshow host Oprah Winfrey even sent a film crew to her clinic in 2007. That episode, Wombs For Rent, lifted the doctor's profile internationally. 'That was my proudest moment,' she declares.

But there is also plenty of stinging criticism. Detractors from around the world accuse her of playing God, and exploiting poor women, she laments. 'My children get hurt when they hear the media reporting that I am exploiting the surrogate mothers,' she admits.

Dr H.D. Pai, a council member of the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India, blames Dr Patel for putting a price tag on life such that it deprives poor Indians of the chance to benefit from this procedure. 'She is making it too commercial,' he says. 'Anand is out of control.'

'It's not a doctor's role to deal with social issues. She just wants publicity.'

Also, Ahmedabad-based fertility specialist Himanshu Bavishi opposes Dr Patel's compulsory practice of housing surrogate mothers in communal residences throughout their pregnancies.

'This is inhumane - separating the surrogate mothers from their families. It's like treating them as slaves.'

In her own defence, Dr Patel said this gives surrogate mothers a good home and prevents them from taking up strenuous jobs during pregnancy, thereby cutting the risk of miscarriages. The home also serves as a shelter from scrutiny and finger-pointing by friends and relatives.

She insists she looks out for her wombs-for-hire in many other ways. For example, she has established a trust fund to help former surrogate mothers pay for their children's education. A major donor herself, she hopes to gather enough cash to cover the medical fees and college payments for the children of surrogates under her care.

'I really care for the surrogates from the bottom of my heart,' Dr Patel says. 'I'm not bothered by what people say because my conscience is clear and my surrogates know what I am doing.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.