Manish Kumar
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Feb 3: Absence of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) facility at government hospitals in the state and private hospitals having a monopoly on the specialised treatment have raised doubts whether the government would ever foray into the field.
Doctors in the city are divided over the issue of introducing IVF at government-run hospitals. IVF is commonly known among people as ‘test tube baby’ technique.
Family welfare director Nirmala Kumari Dei told Orissa POST IVF or any other assisted reproductive techniques are yet to be introduced at the government hospitals in the state. Moreover, this facility has also not been started at the medical colleges in the state.
Similarly, SCB Medical College and Hospital superintendent Pratap Kumar Rath also indicated the absence of this facility at the premier hospital.
Health professionals in the city have divergent opinions over inception of the facility at government hospitals. “Government hospitals focus on public health and aim to provide treatment for the ailments which affect the masses. It is not a big deal for a government hospital to invest `1 crore and set up an IVF centre and create adequate infrastructure for the purpose.” said Dr Aditya Das, a city-based IVF expert.
However, infertility expert Gurmeet Kaur said, “If IVF facility is introduced in government hospitals, it will really benefit many infertile couples. But monitoring and regulation of these fertility centres will hold significance. IVF is a specialised system of treatment which includes a cycle of injections and medicines pre and post procedure. If some key hormonal injections are not administered on time, the whole procedure will collapse.
Government hospitals offering IVF facility is however not alien to the country. Government-aided hospitals like Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Lok Nayak Jay Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP), SMS Medical College (Rajasthan) are one of the few institutions who are offering IVF or other specialised infertility treatments like Intra-uterine insemination (IUI) at a much lower charge than that of private hospitals.
With increased proliferation of IVF clinics in the city, many are hopeful of availing the treatment at an affordable rate.
