STARTING OF IVF IN NORTH INDIA: I, Dr. Abha Majumdar am presently the Director and Head of ‘The Centre of In Vitro Fertilization & Human Reproduction’ at Sir Ganga Ram hospital, New Delhi. I have been instrumental in establishing the technique of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) in northern India with birth of the first IVF baby of north India in 1991. With dedication and hard work this centre has expanded and grown into one of the largest institutional and teaching centres of the country which undertakes 2000 IVF cycles a year with pregnancy rates comparable to best centres across the globe. I dedicated myself to treatment of infertile couples and to development of IVF which started gaining prominence in north India after the first baby was born. This technology has been perfected now and north India alone has over 3000 centres spread far and wide reaching the interiors of the country catering to a huge population needing this technology to fulfil their dream of having a child. I was awarded as ‘National champion of IVF’ by Economic Times Health World Fertility Award Function’which is held once every 3 years in 2019 and then again in 2022 consecutively.
I am one of the few IVF clinicians who continues to manage high-risk obstetrics including IVF pregnancies as well as perform fertility enhancing endoscopic (laparoscopic and hysteroscopic) surgeries, thus an all-in-one fertility manager. I have also innovated surgical interventions to help patients recover successfully from critical childbearing health situations such as, help the second of the undelivered twin survive in the uterus till a safe age of viability.
NATIONAL BOARD OF EDUCATION: I am the first and only person from north India to be entrusted by the prestigious ‘National Board of Education’ (NBE) to run honorary fellowship program in reproductive medicine since 2008.This is the highest learning field for postdoctoral fellowship’ awarded to gynaecological postgraduates in treating infertility. The NBE has entrusted me with many responsibilitiesto name a few: conducting the final exit examination for the fellowship, to inspect and approve suitability for running the post-doctoral course for newly emerging centres or renewal of already running centres for fellowship in IVF and reproductive medicine across the country, and for setting short examination questions and their answers for the question bank from time to time for them. I have been a teacher and thesis guide for more than 12 years for diploma course (DNB) in Obstetrics and gynaecology appointed by ‘National Board of Education’ before I started the fellowship course in reproductive medicine in 2008 till today. I was felicitated for my contribution as ‘most distinguished DNB Teacher of Excellence’, for Post Graduate Medical Education & Examinations, by the Association of National Board Accredited Institutions and National Board of Education India in 2017.
TEACHING AND TRAINING GYNAECOLOGIST IN THE FIELD OF IVF: I have taught and trained numerous gynaecologists in this field adding to the numbers of good clinicians now practicing ethically derived high standard medicine across the country. I am also
teaching and training young gynaecologist for I year diploma in the field of infertility and IVF, and 4 months course for embryology under the flagship of Indian Fertility Society (IFS) and Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR) respectively, the 2 exclusive infertility societies in the country, for dispersing knowledge and awareness in this field. I am also imparting ‘Advanced infertility trainings in IVF’, under aegis of ‘Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological societies of India’ (FOGSI), Sir Ganga Ram hospital training program as well as in my clinic. I had been felicitated in 2017 by FOGSI for having imparted the highest number of trainingsso far under their flagship across the country. I have displayed numerous, tutorials in form of power point presentations, videos, and lectures to reach out to doctors practicing everywhere through electronic media. All young budding doctors living in remote places go to my website (www.drabhamajumdar.com)or the U-tube to learn, who cannot reach me personally. During covid pandemic I conducted many webinars to continue my teaching program.
I am on the ‘Editorial board for NDTV academics’, peer reviewer for the ‘Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences’, editorial board of ‘Worldwide IVF’ and member of advisory board for ‘Journal of Fertility Science & Research’.
PHILANTHROPY: Ivisit and offers my services to a gurukul which houses and looks after more than 700 abandoned ailing senior citizens by the name of ‘Earth Saviours Foundation’ established by Late Shri Ravi Kalra. I have tried to help the inmates of the gurukul in whichever way I could, be it food, clothes, monetary support, mental or medical care for the residents. I also brought the residents requiring surgical aid to my hospital where they underwent surgeries free of cost.
I founded a trust in 2013 in my mother’s name after her demise in 2013 as ‘Daya Agarwal Education Trust’ to provide scholarship to young girls from economically weaker section wishing to pursue higher studies including girls from the medical college I studied in. This was probably my way of giving back to society as I also received a scholarship from a charitable trust to enable my medical education.
CHANGING MISCONCEPTIONS IN MEDICAL PRACTICES: I have tried hard by my teachings to reduce the menace of using anti tuberculosis treatment for infertile women, without establishing the diagnosis of the disease. This has been taking a toll not only on these women by treating them unnecessarily for genital tuberculosis under the garb of treating infertility but is also creating deficit of these medicines for treatment of true cases of the disease and adding to drug resistance. I published my original research in 2021 during covid pandemic, to prove that tuberculosis needs treatment only when disease is established and not when it is in its latent form.
FOUNDER MEMBER AND PAST PRESIDENT OF INDIAN FERTILITY SOCIETY (IFS),which was conceived in 2005 with a handful of doctors in this field to disperse knowledge in this newly emerging sub-specialty across the country. This society is now a society of > 3600 members with its branches across India and is also running a diploma course as well as publishing Journal of Fertility Science & Research internationally. I have been awarded the Lifetime achievement award, for the work done in this field by the society in 2021.
BACKGROUND: I hail from a humble background, lost my father at a young age of 12 years, and was brought up by my mother as non-working single parent, 3 more siblings, with no visible support system. I studied in Hindi medium school of a tier 3 town of Uttar Pradesh, yet topped pre-medical examination, MBBS and MS examination of Agra Medical college. My accomplishments during MBBS were many:7 Gold medals, 7 Silver Medals, Distinction in 9 of 10 subjects, 8 book prizes during 3 professional examinations, 1 trophy, 2 cash prizes, chancellor’s Medal for best student at the university, President’s Silver Medal for best girl medical graduate. I was fortunate for my work to be recognised even as a practicing clinician and was awarded for my innovations, teaching, and trainings.I ama mother of three, hencehave had to follow a very disciplined life, balancing my priorities as a doctor, teacher, mother, and wife without compromising either.
