Kolkata: A 32-year-old woman delivered a test-tube baby at SSKM Hospital on Thursday, the first IVF-assisted birth at the state hospital’s Centre of Excellence which operates in collaboration with the Ghosh Dastidar Institute for Fertility Research (GDIFR). The entire procedure was conducted free of charge and will soon be followed by several more such IVF deliveries over the next one month, said the authorities.
The initial screening, sonography and other mandatory tests to the process of fertilization and delivery of the child were done jointly by the two institutes, according to fertility expert Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar who conducted the procedure with a team of doctors. Ghosh Dastidar is the founder-director of GDIFR and a renowned fertility expert who is in charge of SSKM CEC.
GDIFR is the knowledge partner for the scheme.
“This is a collaborative scheme to take IVF to all sections of the society. It has kicked off successfully with the first IVF delivery in a government institution which is completely free of charge. While the initial treatment procedure was done at the SSKM CEC, the IVF process process was carried out at the GDIFR. As per the chief minister’s wish and instruction, the entire process will be done free of charge and this is the first time in Bengal that this was done,” said Ghosh Dastidar.
An IVF usually costs between Rs 1.1-1.5 lakh.
Around 35 more women are due to deliver under the scheme over the next one month. Five to six of them have been confirmed to be positive. “This is a significant step towards extending IVF. While the CEC is now housed at the ground floor of SSKM, we have set up a modern IVF laboratory on the seventh floor which will soon be functional. Once it is ready, the entire process will be conducted at SSKM,” added Ghosh Dastidar.