In Thycaud there is a messiah for childless couples
Success rate of 70 to 90% a month has raised the stock of the laparoscopic centre and infertility clinic
By : cynthia chandran
Update: 2014-10-14 04:43 GMT
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dr. Sam John Varghese, who heads the invitro insemination (IVI) facility at the Women and Child Hospital, Thycaud, is a messiah for childless couples. This infertility specialist who works close to 12 hours a day, does his job with only a handful of staff and the most basic of facilties . His success rate of 70 to 90 per cent a month has raised the stock of the laparoscopic centre and infertility clinic attached to the hospital.
The 49 -year- old doctor, who hails from Ezhukon in Kollam district, has been working at the infertility clinic since the special wing was started in 2005. Soft spoken, he shies away from being photographed. With nearly 3000 childless couples registering at the clinic every year, he admits there is need for better facilities for their treatment at the W & C Hospital, but says financial constraints have come in the way.
“Already Rs 5 crore has been allotted for a new building and lab. But due to the lean financial phase the government is going through, we are not sure when we will get these facilities. But I am hugely indebted to the government for its Rs 50 lakh grant every year for improving the infertility clinic,” adds the doctor, who has decided not to pursue private practice as a policy.
There are days when he starts his official duties at dawn with childless couples queuing up from 3 am to get the tokens distributed from 5:30 am onwards. But he does not like to take any credit for the success of the IVI treatment given, modestly attributing it to team work.
“There are a lot of people who cannot afford treatment at multi- specialty hospitals and I want to serve them. Fortunately, I have a good team of doctors, nurses and allied staff. It would have been better if we had an operation theatre and an anaesthesia unit as well,” he admits.
His colleague, Dr. Simy Harris, who works under the National Rural Health Mission at the clinic, says childless couples come to it not only from all over the state , but also neighbouring Tamil Nadu.