Srinagar December 30 (KNS): JKPC General Secretary and President All J&K Shia Association (AJKSA), Molvi Imran Ansari, today tweeted expressing serious concern over the complete absence of public IVF facilities in Jammu & Kashmir, despite the region having a strong government healthcare infrastructure.
He said that Jammu & Kashmir today has more than 9 government medical colleges and over 1,800 government hospitals, where doctors are trained every day, “yet not a single government-run IVF centre exists in any public health institution.” He highlighted that this gap is alarming, especially when J&K’s Total Fertility Rate stands at 1.4 (NFHS-5) below the replacement level and nearly 10–15% couples face infertility.
Molvi Imran Ansari added that infertility must be recognised as a public health issue, not treated as a luxury available only to those who can afford expensive private care.
He further said that couples across Kashmir and Jammu are being forced to depend entirely on private IVF clinics, where a single cycle costs anywhere between ?80,000 to ?2.75 lakh, with the average ranging from ?1.2–1.5 lakh in Srinagar and Jammu. “ICSI procedures add another ?Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel70,000, and multiple cycles push families into debt, emotional trauma, and long-term distress,” he added.
Drawing a comparison, he said that states like Maharashtra already operate IVF units within government medical colleges, and questioned why a similar model cannot be implemented in Jammu & Kashmir.
Molvi Imran Ansari also pointed out that while discussions around starting IVF services at Lal Ded Hospital and SMGS Hospital, along with technical support from the Indian Fertility Society, have been ongoing for some time, “there is no clarity on when these talks will translate into real action on the ground.”
He added that although the ART Act, 2021 mandates registration of IVF clinics, it does not prescribe any price caps, leading to unregulated fees, misleading assurances, and growing public anger, particularly in Kashmir.
Concluding his remarks, Molvi Imran Ansari said, “Reproductive healthcare cannot be left entirely to market forces. Jammu & Kashmir urgently needs affordable, regulated, government-run IVF services. This is no longer optional it is a public necessity.”(KNS)