Twenty-nine-year-old Fatima has moved temporarily from Ayodhya to Sion to undergo infertility treatment at affordable rates in civic-run Sion Hospital, The Times of India reported.
She is among six women beginning in vitro fertilisation at the facility, where a cycle costs about a third of private-sector rates. Doctors plan to transfer one of her eight laboratory-created embryos into her uterus next week.
A tuberculosis infection damaged Fatima’s fallopian tubes, leaving her with little chance of conceiving naturally. Private IVF costs between Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh per cycle, which was beyond her means. “When my uncle in Dadar told me Sion Hospital was about to start IVF, I moved here,” Fatima said.
The Dharavi outpost, known as Chhota Sion, houses a nearly 3,000-square-foot IVF laboratory equipped with modern technology. Lions Club Juhu funded much of the facility. Though ready in January, the lab began operations after a team led by Prof Dr Rahul Mayekar spent 10 months establishing protocols, fine-tuning equipment, and putting together an embryologist panel to monitor samples daily.
Locating the facility in Dharavi, one of the country’s largest slum settlements, was deliberate. “There were two reasons,” Dr Mayekar told The Times of India. “The first was affordability and the second was accessibility — having the facility right within the community.”
Dr Archana Bhonsale, nodal officer for IVF, said the Dharavi outpost offered the required space because the main Sion Hospital is undergoing renovation. Sion Hospital dean Dr Pramod Ingale said that the facility also has space to expand later.
The centre draws support from Sion Hospital alumni Dr Ameet Patki and Dr Kedar Ganla, who have trained the team in IVF techniques and daily operations.
“The idea is to give back to our alma mater,” Dr Patki said. “IVF is emerging as a necessity today. Many couples are opting for parenthood later in life and may need help through assisted reproductive techniques.”
An estimated 15% of the population experiences some form of infertility, a public health issue. Success rates in well-equipped IVF laboratories are close to 40% these days.
The Sion centre has 55 women on its waiting list. “We started with six women, with another six to begin treatment next month,” doctors said. The team aims to scale up to 20 IVF cycles a month.
A Central directive calls for every medical college to have an IVF laboratory or department. Cama Hospital was the first public hospital in Maharashtra to set up such a facility, and civic-run KEM Hospital in Parel operates one as well.
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