Govt-run IVF clinics a non-starter despite dire need

Bengaluru: Amid the rising demand for assisted reproductive measures and their burgeoning cost, a proposal to set up in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) centres in government hospitals has been gathering dust for more than a year despite the medical community pushing for it. 

Even though the state health department hasn’t taken a policy decision in this regard so far, DH has learnt that some positive steps can be expected after the Lok Sabha polls.

In 2022, the then BJP government’s health minister Dr K Sudhakar made the proposal to ease the burden on those who couldn’t afford costly private IVF clinics. 

Vani Vilas Hospital in Bengaluru was chosen as the first among medical college hospitals to launch the project. In the same year, a proposal in this regard was submitted to the state government by the hospital, but it hasn’t seen the light of day since.

“There has been no progress on that (proposal),” Dr Savitha C, medical superintendent, Vani Vilas Hospital told DH. “They (the department) had asked us what the requirements were and we submitted a report accordingly. We didn’t ask for a separate building, but for components, equipment and human resources,” she said.

Dr Savitha added that she was unsure why the proposal hadn’t taken off.

Gynaecologists and fertility specialists continue to highlight the need for government intervention in this regard due to rising infertility in the state and the inaccessibility of private treatment.

“Private clinics charge between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh per treatment cycle, which most people cannot afford. Since the first cycle may not be 100% successful, many people need repeated treatment cycles, which can push the costs higher,” said a senior gynaecologist at a government hospital in the city, who wished to remain anonymous.

The costs are high due to the injections, procedures, and the expertise required for IVF treatments, said retired fertility specialist Dr Meenakshi Bharath.

“At least 10% of the population requires assisted reproduction measures and IVF is one of them, which requires trained doctors, embryologists and nursing staff. The government needs to budget it properly, if it plans to implement this system,” she said.

Although ESI (Employees’ State Insurance) card holders are eligible for free IVF treatments in certain hospitals, such as the Genea Fertility Center, JP Nagar, this benefit is not extended to everyone. Therefore, the government could set up centres in medical colleges to provide subsidised, if not free, services, opined Dr Sheela Mane, DNB professor, KC General Hospital, and senior consultant, Anugraha Nursing Home.

“This is a model that has worked in Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram and Vellore and can be replicated in Karnataka because IVF treatment is not covered under most health insurance plans. This would be a training opportunity for young doctors and would also create fellowship opportunities for them,” she said.

Even though Health Commissioner D Randeep said the project is unlikely to be proposed as part of this year’s state budget, the health minister assured that some action would take place soon.

“We have held preliminary discussions with medical experts about surrogacy and IVF. Movement in this direction can be expected after the upcoming general elections,” Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told DH.