GMC to have infertility treatment facility

NT NETWORK

PANAJI

As around 20 per cent of Goa’s women confront infertility, the state government will start providing treatment for it at  the Bambolim-based Goa Medical College and Hospital.

Addressing a press conference, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that  several women are forced to go outside the state  for getting infertility treatment, which is expensive and  costs between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 9 lakh.

“Hence the state government has decided to tie up with renowned infertility treatment specialist Dr Nandita Palshetkar and the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society of India  to start the treatment in the gynaecology department of the GMC.

Rane said that an ‘intra uterin insemination’  facility will be set up at the GMC within a month, and in the next six months a unit  for ‘in vitro fertilisation’  will be introduced at the GMC.

“Dr Nandita Palshetkar, who will  lead FOGSI as its president from January 2019 to February 2020, has agreed to assist the GMC. She will give free service and handhold us till we set up the facility,” Rane  said.

Head of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology of the GMC Dr Gurudatta Pednekar, who was present for the press conference along with associate professor Dr Ajit Nagarcekar, said that around  20 per cent of Goa’s women  face infertility. Half of the women facing the   infertility may need higher modality of treatment which is very expensive.

The state government is in the process of building a mother and child block at the GMC, which will be integrated with the department of gynaecology.

He said the state government  has started  working on setting  up  infrastructure for the  IUI facility at the GMC as per the Indian Council of Medical Research  guidelines.