Fertility Society of Nepal (FESON) has urged the government plan a policy on In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) technology to make it cost effective.

The newly formed body comprising practicing gynaecologists and obstetricians involved in IVF has stressed the urgent need to expand IVF centres in different parts of the country for the benefit of the infertile couples.

Currently there are 12 such centres in Nepal, seven in Kathmandu and rest outside it. Doctors said lack of government policy has made the IVF expensive for those who are looking for such treatment.  Specialised Gynaecologist and Obstetrics Dr Ganesh Man Singh Karki said that, “The lack of government intervention in IVF has made it expensive. With the government’s support, the cost of reproducing test tube baby through IVF could be reduced up to Rs50,000 from the current price of around Rs400,000.”

IVF is a technology intervention for infertile couples where fertilisation of sperm and ovum is done outside the human body. A zygote is formed in two to six days and then transferred into the uterus of woman for successful pregnancy.

FESON General Secretary Dr Swasti Sharma said there are around 15-20 percent infertile couples in Nepal, of these 85 percent can be treated with medication. The remaining 15 percent require IVF technology intervention.

The IVF technology in Nepal took its first step in 2004 through IVF the centre at Om Hospital. This procedure resulted in the birth of Om Mani Tamang, the first test-tube baby of Rajendra Tamang and Sandhya Tamang on March 3, 2005.

With the introduction of IVF technology in Nepal, around 70 percent of Nepali couples have stopped going to India. Nepal Health Research Council Executive Chairman Dr Anjani Kumar Jha urged the government saying that, “IVF needs high response from the government. It should be added to the government’s policy to make IVF affordable.”