The Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital (IMS and SH) on Sunday launched its Centre for Human Reproduction (CHR), a state-of-the-art facility exclusively to address all issues of infertility and childlessness.
The CHR will enable most comprehensive, systematic and protocol-based treatment facilities for infertile couples. The hospital had been operating an infertility unit to deal with childless couples since 2007. “Infertility, in a broad sense, is defined as childlessness in a population of women of reproductive age. But when we evaluate the cause, both male and female factors equally contribute to the state of infertility”, Associate Professor and chief consultant of CHR, Dr Babita Panda said.
Dr Panda, formerly consultant in Reproductive Medicine Unit at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, added, “there is distressing rise in incidence of infertility among the general population. Environmental factors, work stress, lack of time for each other and lifestyle factors contribute greatly to the issue of childlessness.”
The facility was inaugurated by Swami Bhakti Gaurav Narayan of ISKCON in the presence of Prof. (Dr.) Korula George, Head of Reproductive Medicine, Baptist Hospital, Bangalore, eminent gynaecologist Prof. (Dr) P C Mohapatra, Vice-Chancellor of SOA University Prof (Dr) R P Mohanty, Vice-Chancellor and Dean, IMS and SH, Prof D K Ray.
The centre will adhere to international standards of sterilisation and air quality management for Embryology Laboratory, Andrology Laboratory and Ovum Pickup Theatre to ensure optimum environment for ovum and sperm handling. The CHR would be supported by the departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Urology, Endocrinology, Tubal reconstructive surgery and Anaesthesiology of IMS and SH, Dr Panda stated.