SSKM IVF clinic: Over 250 couples register for treatment in 2 months

KOLKATA: Newly set up in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) treatment clinic at the SSKM Hospital has seen a tremendous response from the people with more than 250 couples registering for availing the treatment in the past two months. This is for the first time that any government hospital is offering costly IVF treatment completely freeof-cost in eastern India.

The IVF clinic has come up at the ‘Centre of Excellence of Reproductive Medicine’ (CERM) in SSKM and outpatient department (OPD) treatment for IVF has already begun in the hospital.

It will start full-fledged operations in the next couple of months. According to sources, the CERM will eventually be a home for advanced medical research. SSKM Hospital authorities have tied up with a private infertility clinic, Ghosh Dastidar Institute of Fertility Research (GDIFR) which will share expertise and train our doctors. State government will provide over Rs 2.35 crore to GDIFR for next 3 years for the smooth running of the project, sources said.

SSKM will act as nodal centre, which will also impart training among the doctors from district medical colleges in this particular field. Training has been given to nurses and medical professionals from the SSKM Hospital as well so that it can function independently within 3 years.

The doctors have already started examining the couples, who are visiting the IVF clinic. The doctors are seeing patients at the OPD twice a week. People are now availing IVF treatment consultations at the OPD.

It is the brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who wanted to ensure that childless couples belonging to the lower middle class background can avail free IVF treatment.

It may be mentioned here that no government hospital in the eastern part of the country has ever come up with such an idea as there are financial issues involved.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences provides IVF treatment at subsidised rates. The SSKM is the first hospital to provide IVF treatment to patients till the baby is born. IVF is a process of fertilization by artificially mixing an ovum and a sperm in the laboratory and then the embryo is shifted to the uterus. GDIFR will also train the doctors, share expertise as a knowledge partner.