AIIMS Bhopal Misses Deadline To Set Up IVF Lab

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): AIIMS Bhopal has missed the May 2025 deadline to establish a dedicated In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) laboratory. In the absence of the lab, the premier medical institute is unable to offer comprehensive infertility treatments, including IVF, through its department of obstetrics and gynaecology. Currently, the department provides only basic infertility services.

The institute has urged the authority concerned to expedite the supply of essential equipment from HLL Lifecare Limited (HLL). The Standing Finance Committee (SFC) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) had earlier directed AIIMS Bhopal to operationalise the IVF lab at the earliest.

According to doctors, the proposed IVF Skill Lab will be a training facility equipped with high-fidelity digital simulators that enable medical professionals to practice procedures such as hysteroscopy, ovum pick-up, and embryo transfer for IVF and treat infertility.

These simulators, powered by advanced digital and AI technologies, incorporate a wide variety of cases with varying difficulty levels for the trainees. This allows the doctors to practice the procedures several times safely on the simulator before performing on real patients, said the medical experts.

At the state level, the government had also announced plans a few years ago to set up IVF centres in government medical colleges in Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, and Jabalpur. However, no significant progress has been made so far.

AIIMS Bhopal director Dr Ajai Singh told Free Press that the IVF lab is in its final stage and the administration is making all efforts to ensure its early completion.