Revolutionizing IVF Access: New White Paper Calls for Urgent Insurance Reforms in India, ETHealthworld

New Delhi, A white paper released on World IVF Day has recommended insurance reforms, a fertility benefit package under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY for economically vulnerable couples, workplace fertility benefits and greater public financing to make infertility care more accessible and affordable in India.

The paper, Beyond the Burden of Infertility in India: Towards Reproductive Equity through Mission Fertility 2.1, was released at the 7th India IVF Summit held here on July 25.

It calls for recognising infertility as a core reproductive health condition, expanding awareness through ASHAs, schools and workplaces with a special focus on male fertility, reforming private insurance by reducing waiting periods and improving coverage, modernising reimbursement under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and public sector undertakings, and strengthening state financing through public-private partnerships.

The report also proposes integrating employer-sponsored fertility benefits into workplace wellness programmes and highlights public financing models in Goa, Sikkim and West Bengal.

The recommendations come at a time when India’s total fertility rate has fallen below the replacement level of 2.1, and an estimated 3.5 crore couples face infertility. Of these, only around 42 lakh are able to access treatment.

The white paper was launched by Uttar Pradesh’s Minister for Women Welfare, Child Development and Nutrition Baby Rani Maurya in the presence of experts from the fertility and public health sectors.

Dr Sunita Tandulwadkar, president of the Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR), said World IVF Day was not just a celebration of scientific achievement but also of hope.

“India is no longer merely following global advances in IVF, but is helping create them. IVF is not about laboratories or incubators; it is about families waiting to hear a heartbeat, and every patient deserves compassion and the very best science we can offer,” Tandulwadkar said.

Shivani Sharma, Chief Operating Officer, Bharat Serums and Vaccines (BSV), underscored the need to ensure that scientific advances in fertility treatment are matched by greater public awareness and timely diagnosis.

“The gap between what medical science can offer and what many couples can actually access remains one of the biggest challenges before us, and closing that gap will define the next chapter of fertility care in India.

“Awareness has not progressed at the same pace as science. Fertility conversations remain surrounded by silence and stigma, and by the time couples seek help, valuable time has often been lost,” Sharma said.

Dr Rishikesh Pai, Founder and Managing Director of Bloom IVF Group and immediate past president of the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI), said India had grown from about 10 IVF centres in the early years to 5,000 today.

“The next phase of this journey has to be about access, which rests on four pillars: awareness, availability, affordability and assurance of ethical, quality outcomes. As doctors, we hold real power, the power to give treatment free of charge to those who cannot afford it, and that is a power none of us should be shy of using,” he said.

Pratin Vete, Chief Executive Officer of Universal Nutriscience, said, “As per the latest data, 3.5 crore couples in India face the challenge of infertility, and only about 42 lakh can access treatment.

“A gap this great demands that every stakeholder in the ecosystem come together on a shared agenda of awareness and access,” Vete said.

Kamal Narayan Omer, Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Health And Wellbeing Council, a healthcare advocacy organisation spreading awareness of health and environmental issues by linking people through national and international forums, described the white paper as a roadmap to make fertility care an integral part of reproductive health.

“This white paper is more than a policy document. It is a roadmap to ensure that fertility care is recognised as an essential part of reproductive healthcare rather than a privilege.

“We are calling for reforms that improve awareness, strengthen financial protection, modernise public reimbursement systems, encourage responsible employer participation and build public-private partnerships so that no couple is denied the opportunity to build a family because of where they live or what they can afford,” he said.