KARACHI: The Sindh Reproductive and Genetic Health Centre (SRGHC) — the first assisted reproductive centre in the public sector in the province — was inaugurated at the Sindh Jinnah Medical University (JSMU) on Thursday.

The facility aims at providing low-cost infertility treatment and services including consultation, counselling, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, intrauterine insemination and diagnostic laparoscopy.

The centre’s launch saw a thorough discussion by experts on the country’s infertility treatment challenges in a seminar titled ‘Together let’s make the miracle possible’.

Delivering the keynote speech at the event, Dr Shaheen Zafar, director of Sindh Institute of Reproductive Medicine, regretted that doctors didn’t give enough time to patients, though counselling was the most important component of infertility treatment.

‘Counselling is the most important component of infertility treatment’

“These patients are under acute stress, especially women, many of whom are facing divorce. All infertility centres should have counsellors and psychologists who could guide them properly,” she said. She also shared the progress achieved in this area of medicine abroad and how technology was now transforming treatment. “Patients are receiving the best possible treatment in advanced countries and in Europe the government is providing the treatment.”

Dr Sirajuddaula, senior pathologist and embryologist teaching at Ziauddin University, shared that treatment of infertility had improved drastically over the past few decades and now it’s possible to treat complicated male infertility problems such as azoospermia (in which sperm were absent).

He appreciated the step for poor patients but also emphasized the need to educate people regarding prevention of infertility.

“For instance, we know that mumps infection in childhood is responsible for azoospermia in men and ovarian failure in women. All children should be immunised against this viral infection.”

Dr Haroon Latif Khan, a senior clinical embryologist based in Lahore, suggested that the university should start a programme to train more embryologists as the country faced an acute shortage of these experts without whom it’s not possible to run a reproductive health centre.

Earlier, in her presentation, the centre’s director Dr Nighat Shah explained how the idea of the facility was conceived and said that during her professional career she soon realized that there was a dire need for an infertility treatment centre in the public sector where services were available without hefty fees.

“The centre will provide free consultation to all patients and treatment to major infertility problems at low cost. In the private sector, only the IVF costs more than Rs600,000,” she pointed out.

Highlighting the infertility treatment challenges in Balochistan, Dr Ayesha Siddiqa of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Pakistan, said women had no rights in the province and it’s very common to see husbands divorcing their wives due to infertility. “I request all my patients to consider infertility as a disease and get help. There is a need to open more centres in different parts of Pakistan for poor patients,” she said.

Vice Chancellor JSMU Prof Amjad Seraj Memon congratulated the entire SRGHC team on their success and assured support of the university for its success.

Concluding the session, Prof Razia Korejo, the president of Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, emphasized the need for working harder to reduce maternal mortality in the country and provide women with infertility treatment options at their doorstep.

Speakers included Dr Moha­mmad Arshad Chohan, Dr Zaryab Sethna and Dr Nusrat Shah.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2021