‘Insurance Reforms, Public Financing & Workplace Fertility Benefits must for infertility care in India’
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The Integrated Health & Wellbeing (IHW) Council marked World IVF Day by convening the 7th India IVF Summit & Awards 2026, where it launched its landmark white paper, Beyond the Burden of Infertility in India: Towards Reproductive Equity through Mission Fertility 2.1, and unveiled Mission Fertility 2.1, a national movement to make fertility care more accessible, affordable and dignified for every Indian couple. Bringing together policymakers, clinicians, embryologists, researchers, legal experts, industry leaders, corporate HR leaders and patient advocates, the Summit called for coordinated policy action at a time when India’s total fertility rate has fallen below the replacement level of 2.1, reinforcing the need to strengthen awareness, financial protection and access to reproductive healthcare.
Now in its seventh year, the Summit has emerged as one of India’s leading multi-stakeholder platforms on assisted reproduction. Developed in partnership with IIHMR Delhi, the landmark white paper was authored by IHW Council Public Health Policy Lead Ritika Kumari, with findings presented by Dr Divya Agarwal, Associate Professor, IIHMR Delhi. Drawing on evidence from WHO, NFHS 5, ICMR, peer-reviewed literature and national policy frameworks, it presents a comprehensive roadmap to address one of India’s most under-recognised public health challenges.
The roadmap recommends recognising infertility as a core reproductive health condition, expanding awareness through ASHAs, schools and workplaces with a dedicated focus on male fertility, integrating employer sponsored fertility benefits into workplace wellness, reforming private insurance by reducing waiting periods and improving coverage, modernising CGHS, ESIC and PSU reimbursement, and strengthening state financing through public private partnerships, including a proposed Fertility Benefit Package under PM JAY for economically vulnerable families. The paper also highlights successful public financing models in Goa, Sikkim and West Bengal, demonstrating that fertility care can be made more affordable and accessible through policy innovation.
The white paper was formally released by Smt. Baby Rani Maurya, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister, Women Welfare, Child Development and Nutrition, Government of Uttar Pradesh, in the presence of Dr Sunita Tandulwadkar, President, Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR), Dr Rishikesh Pai, Founder and Managing Director, Bloom IVF Group and Immediate Past President, FOGSI, Shivani Sharma, Chief Operating Officer, Bharat Serums and Vaccines (BSV), Pratin Vete, Chief Executive Officer, Universal Nutriscience, Dr Divya Agarwal, Associate Professor, IIHMR Delhi, Ritika Kumari, Public Health Policy Lead, IHW Council, and Kamal Narayan Omer, Chief Executive Officer, IHW Council. The inaugural session featured addresses by Dr Tandulwadkar, Dr Pai, Ms Sharma and Mr Vete, along with a special video message from Shri G.T. Dhungel, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Culture and AYUSH, Government of Sikkim.
Dr Sunita Tandulwadkar, President, Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR), emphasised that India’s growing leadership in assisted reproduction must ultimately be measured by the hope and care it delivers to aspiring parents. She said, “Today is much more than a celebration of a scientific achievement. It is a celebration of hope. India is no longer merely following global advances in IVF. India 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.”
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. She said, “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.” On the occasion, she also highlighted Finding Your Missing Joy, a patient awareness initiative encouraging couples to seek timely guidance from qualified fertility specialists.
Dr Rishikesh Pai, Founder and Managing Director, Bloom IVF Group and Immediate Past President, FOGSI, stressed that the next phase of India’s fertility journey must be driven by affordability, wider reach and ethical, high-quality care. He said, “India has grown from ten IVF centres in the early days to nearly five thousand today, and 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.”
Pratin Vete, Chief Executive Officer, Universal Nutriscience, highlighted the urgent need for greater collaboration to bridge India’s fertility treatment gap. He 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.” On the occasion, Universal Nutriscience launched Journey, a patient education platform offering reliable, easy-to-understand information on fertility and IVF care.
Kamal Narayan Omer, Chief Executive Officer, IHW Council, said, “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.”
A dedicated Corporate Fertility Roundtable with HR leaders from organisations including HCL Software, Swiggy, Tata Power, Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals and Vedanta Power explored how workplace fertility benefits can support employee wellbeing. The programme also featured patient awareness initiatives and the India IVF Awards recognising excellence in clinical practice, embryology, research, innovation and patient care.
The Summit concluded with a shared commitment from policymakers, clinicians, researchers, industry leaders and employers to translate the recommendations of the white paper into actionable policy through Mission Fertility 2.1, advancing a more inclusive, affordable and evidence-driven reproductive healthcare ecosystem for India.
