Health2 min
Karnataka Plans IVF Centres in Five Government Hospitals, Including Mangaluru
Health Minister UT Khader says the state wants cheaper fertility treatment closer to home, with a final plan expected soon.
Karnataka is moving to bring in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) into public hospitals. The state government has proposed IVF facilities in five government hospitals across Karnataka, including ones in Bengaluru and Mangaluru. Health and Family Welfare Minister UT Khader announced the plan on Saturday while speaking to reporters in Mangaluru.
Khader said each facility would cost roughly Rs 5 crore to set up. A committee of medical experts and Health Department officials is working on the proposal, and he said it will be finalised shortly. No launch date or list of hospitals beyond the two named cities has been announced yet.
The goal is affordability. IVF is one of the most common forms of assisted reproduction, but it is expensive. In private clinics, a single cycle can cost around Rs 3 lakh, which puts it out of reach for many families who are struggling to conceive.
Karnataka's AB-ARK health insurance scheme already covers IVF, but only up to Rs 60,000. That gap is the real problem. Many private hospitals are reluctant to take on the procedure under the scheme, so patients with coverage often find they still cannot get treatment. Public IVF units could give those families a lower-cost option that does not depend on private providers agreeing to the insurance rate.
If the plan goes ahead, it would be one of the more visible state-run fertility initiatives in the country and a test of whether public hospitals can offer a specialised service at scale. Patients will be watching for three things: the final list of hospitals, the actual price they will pay, and how many cycles the public units can handle once they open.
For now, the proposal is still in draft form. Readers who want the full details can read the original report at Deccan Chronicle.
