Zee Media Bureau
Thiruvananthapuram: State-owned S.A.T. Hospital has become the first government sector hospital in South India to have test tube babies. With this, it has created a record of sorts.
The couple being Neyyattinkara residents, Nikhila and Suresh were blessed with twins .The babies, a boy and a girl, weigh two kg each. The babies are doing well and out of ICU support.
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process by which an egg is fertilised by sperm outside the body. In vitro fertilization is the most common and most effective type of assisted reproductive technology (ART) to help women become pregnant. The procedure involves fertilizing an egg outside the body, in a laboratory dish, and then implanting it in a woman's uterus.
The IVF procedure was carried out by Sheela Balakrishnan, head of the fertility clinic .
"We thus became the fifth government hospital in the country and the first one in south India to be successful. We are expecting another test tube baby next week and then there are five more in various stages," said Balakrishnan.
Balakrishnan further added that since this form of medical procedure is an expensive one, "we operate on a no-profit no-loss basis and the entire cost for couples comes to around Rs.1 lakh", whereas in the private sector the expense can amount upto Rs.10 lakh.
