Bengaluru: With infertility rates on the rise and demand for assisted reproductive technologies surging, the Karnataka government is finally moving forward with plans to establish state-run in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics across the state.
The initiative, first proposed in 2022, received a Rs 6 crore allocation in the 2023-2024 budget for four clinics, marking a long-awaited step toward making IVF more accessible.
Originally slated to be housed at VaniVilas Hospital in Bengaluru, the city’s clinic will now be set up at the Atal Behari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute (ABVMCRI), formerly known as Bowring and Lady Curzon Medical College and Research Institute.
The other three facilities will be located at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences in Hubballi (under a corporate social responsibility initiative), Mysore Medical College and Research Institute in Mysuru, and Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences in Kalaburagi.
Dr. Manoj Kumar H.V., director and dean of ABVMCRI, told Deccan Herald that tenders for the Bengaluru clinic are currently being invited, with the unit expected to be operational within six months. “Specialists including gynaecologists, urologists, and other medical staff will be provided by our college and hospital,” he confirmed, adding that tender processes are underway.
Medical Education Minister Dr. Sharanprakash Patil emphasized that the clinics are being established to address “high demand,” though they will not be covered under Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka (AB-Ark), limiting their expansion to select locations.
“We are yet to finalize the pricing, but rates will be affordable—significantly lower than private clinics,” he noted. Private IVF cycles currently cost between Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 4.5 lakh, with no coverage from health insurance companies. Notably, the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act lacks provisions to cap IVF prices at private facilities.
The push for government-run clinics comes amid alarming trends: city gynaecologists report that infertility rates have climbed by 20-30% over the past five years, with a significant rise in male infertility also observed.
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