Tamil Nadu has 665 private IVFs; activists demand the facility at GHs
While the State had 155 IVF centres – 59 in Chennai, 14 in Coimbatore and 11 in Madurai – in 2021, now, the number has increased by many folds and stands at 665, Ms. Mary said.
The whooping increase in private IVFs in the State was due to the rise in demand from the public due to the change in lifestyles, she added.
Chennai stands first with 175 IVFs, and following it, Coimbatore has 69, Madurai has 41, Salem has 40, Tiruchi has 32, Dindigul has 30, Erode has 28, Kanniyakumari has 23, Virudhunagar has 16 and Dharmapuri has 14.
As Tamil Nadu government, in early 2023, allotted ₹2.5 crore each for Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology Egmore Government Hospital and Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, she noted.
But, in 2024, an IVF centre was started only at Egmore GH.
She noted that even Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on a particular occasion asked the government to set up IVF centres in government hospitals.
When the private IVF centres demand lakhs of rupees for treatment, how could people from southern district and other parts visit Chennai GH for treatment every time, she asked.
'As it is a long process, the patient must visit the hospital periodically at various stages of the treatment. So, it will be appropriate only if IVFs are opened at GHs in key districts in the State,' she noted.
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