The Centre has clarified that Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), including In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), is not covered under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, said there is no proposal at present to include infertility-related services such as OPD consultations, diagnostics, hormone therapy, monitoring and IVF treatment under the scheme.
The clarification came in response to a question raised by Congress MP Praniti Sushilkumar Shinde, who sought details on whether the government had considered extending financial coverage for infertility care under AB-PMJAY. While acknowledging that infertility is a significant reproductive health concern affecting a substantial proportion of couples, the minister said the scheme currently provides health coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation and covers 1,961 procedures across 27 specialities under the Health Benefit Package (HBP) 2022.
He, however, pointed to targeted initiatives such as the Jiyo Parsi scheme, which offers free or subsidised fertility treatment to members of the Parsi community, and the Sikkim Vatsalya Yojana, launched in 2022, which provides financial assistance of up to Rs 3 lakh for IVF treatment.
Citing a World Health Organization newsletter dated April 4, 2023, Jadhav said around 17.5 per cent of adults globally experience infertility. Referring to estimates by the Health Technology Assessment India (HTAIn) Resource Hub at ICMR, he said the average out-of-pocket expenditure for a single IVF cycle is about Rs 1.10 lakh in public hospitals and Rs 2.30 lakh in private hospitals. Non-IVF infertility care, including consultations, investigations and medications, also involves additional costs. He added that the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 have been enacted to regulate clinics and ensure safe and ethical practices.
