06-07-2025
Amid falling fertility, Tamil Nadu has just one government IVF facility
MADURAI: Amid increasing demand for affordable infertility treatment, only one government facility — the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Government Hospital for Women and Children at Egmore in Chennai — offers the high-cost In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment in Tamil Nadu, compared to 697 private institutions offering the service across districts.
The prohibitive cost of the treatment in private facilities, which runs into lakhs, makes it unaffordable for thousands of patients.
The spatial distribution of these private institutions, too, is skewed in favour of larger cities, making it difficult for people from smaller towns and villages to access them.
A recent UN report revealed that India's fertility rate has declined to 1.9 births per woman, well below the replacement rate of 2.1. (Replacement rate refers to the fertility rate needed for a population to maintain its current size). Access to infertility treatment plays a crucial role in addressing the issue of falling fertility rates.
'Total cost per cycle can be below Rs 1 lakh in govt hosp'
According to an RTI reply, as on April 21, 2025, there are 697 private IVF centres across TN — 175 in Chennai, 69 (Coimbatore), 41 (Madurai), 40 (Salem), 32 (Trichy), 30 (Dindigul), 28 (Erode), 23 (Kanniyakumari), 16 (Virudhunagar), 14 (Dharmapuri and others).
'The total cost of treatment at these centres starts at Rs 3 lakh, and this is applicable just for one cycle (first sitting). For a healthy couple (healthy sperm and egg), the treatment would cost Rs 2 lakh, and medicines Rs 1 lakh. In case of any abnormalities, the treatment cost would shoot up to Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for medicines,' said a gynaecologist from a private hospital in Madurai.
