KIT: Assisted reproductive therapy in India

Strategic tools for the practising manager

Assisted reproductive therapy helps infertile couples in conception and pregnancy. It encompasses various procedures, ranging from the relatively simple intra-uterine insemination (IUI) to variants of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), commonly known as the test-tube technology.

In India, it is estimated that around 30 million couples are infertile. Out of these, 80 per cent can be treated routinely with simple treatments. The rest, 6 million couples, need to undergo advanced infertility treatments like IVF, intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), egg donation or surrogacy.

The total market size of infertility treatment in India is Rs 1,700 crore and is expected to reach Rs 14,000 crore in the next 10 years, growing at 24 per cent annually. Of this, IVF contributes to 70 per cent, IUI to 22 per cent, and surrogacy to 7 per cent. There are over 300 IVF clinics all over India, mostly in the metro cities.

 

Traditionally, such treatment has been offered in our country by in-hospital IVF departments, and clinics/nursing homes run by single or multiple physicians. Ninety per cent of the market is still dominated by unorganised players.