Karnataka Government to start first IVF Centre At the KMC Hubballi

BPL patients will be eligible for free IVF procedures at the IVF Clinic, which will be built and operated with corporate social responsibility funding. APL cardholders are eligible for a 30% rebate on treatment.

KMC Hubballi: The state government intends to establish Karnataka’s first government In-Vitro Fertility (IVF) Centre at the Karnataka Medical College and Research Institute in Hubballi within three months due to rising infertility rates and the high expense of fertility treatments. Private clinic operations range in price from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.

BPL (Below Poverty Line) patients will be eligible for free IVF procedures at the IVF Clinic, which will be built and operated with corporate social responsibility funding. APL cardholders are eligible for a 30% rebate on treatment.

According to leading gynaecologist Dr. Kasturi Dominath, the surge in infertility can be attributed to a number of circumstances, including delayed pregnancy, changing lifestyles, and chemical pollutants in food. Despite being a costly procedure, IVF has an infertility rate of over 10%. “These procedures may be necessary for impoverished individuals to have children,” she said.

According to KMC-RI director Dr. S F Kammar, tenders for civil works and equipment have already been issued. The obstetrics and gynaecology department would oversee this clinic.

This is the first such facility in a government hospital in the state and funding companies are also arranging specialised training for the staff.

Additionally, the organisation has asked the government to provide free prescription medications for the treatment. Currently, medications are not covered by the Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka program.

“In the outpatient area, we receive 10 to 15 instances of infertility each dayAbout 15% of these couples need IVF treatment. The cost of the injections is approximately Rs 50,000. An embryologist is needed, and we have reproductive endocrinologists in the college,” stated Dr.RamalingappaAntaratani, a professor in the KMC-RI department of obstetrics and gynaecology.

In its 2023–24 Budget, the state government had stated that it would establish IVF clinics at four government medical colleges.

According to BL Sujatha Rathod, head of the Medical Education Department, IVF centres have not yet been established at BMCRI, SABVMRI, or MMCRI in Bengaluru or Mysuru.