Express_Healthcare__February_2018

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I N T E R V I E W
‘Our main USP is the quality of our services’
Dr Anagha Karkhanis, Consultant, IVF and Reproductive Surgery, Cocoon Fertility and
Dr Rajalaxmi Walavalkar, Consultant, IVF and Reproductive Surgery, Cocoon Fertility, have
been working towards creating a market niche for their business. They share their vision with
Raelene Kambli
What is the vision behind
setting up Cocoon fertility
centres?
Dr Anagha: We were both
trained in fertility in Europe
and the UK, and during our
training period we learnt
that infertility was a common
problem in the world.
Moreover, there are big gaps
in this field that need to be
fixed. About one in every six
couples suffer from infertility
and yet, only one per cent of
Indian couples come forward
for diagnosis and treatment.
In India, especially, there
is an immense stigma
attached with infertility and
associated medical problems.
Apart from lack of
awareness, we noticed that
there is lack of structured
approach to management of
infertility as compared to the
West. Our vision is to bring a
systematic approach to
infertility management at an
affordable cost. So that more
and more childless families
have access to such
healthcare facilities. Hence,
we started off with Cocoon
Fertility centre to provide
quality services to all.
A lot of fertility clinics
claim 100 per cent success
but during many instances
it is not true, which results
in a lot of people losing
faith in this treatment
mode. What is the success
rate that you promise?
Dr Rajalaxmi: Well, we do
not promise a particular
success rate. Our patients
are therefore counselled to
understand what it entails to
get fertility treatment. A lot
of times people come with
the hope that they would
immediately get success in
their first treatment
Dr Anagha Karkhanis,
Consultant, IVF and
Reproductive Surgery,
Cocoon Fertility
procedure. That is where the
problem lies. Effective
communication helps us to
convey the right information
to our patient and in
managing expectations. The
success depends on each
person’s particular case and
will be different from the
person sitting next to you.
Hence, to fix a particular rate
for success, makes it too
general and doesn’t allow for
individualisation. A person’s
chances for success with
treatment may indeed be a
lot higher or a lot lower than
average.
How many clinics do you
presently have?
Dr Anagha: The first centre
was opened in Thane,
Mumbai and now there are
three centres including
Santacruz and Dadar. We
have two more centres
opening soon in Pune and
Western suburbs of Mumbai.
We hope to expand our reach
to maximum cities in India.
What is your strategy to
scale your business?
Dr Rajalaxmi :We will focus
on providing quality care to
our patients and will
continue to expand our
service through
partnerships.
What is the investment
done so far?
Dr Anagha: We started with
self-funding. Today, Cocoon
Fertility is building on the
existing infrastructure of a
decades-old family
establishment, one of
Thane's most trusted
maternity homes. Hence, the
investments have been
minimal. However, we have
recently roped in a strategic
investor, the details of which
are currently confidential.
There is immense
competition in the fertility
treatment space. What is
your differentiator and the
value proposition you are
offering?
Dr Anagha: One of our main
USPs is the quality of our
services. This ranges right
from our consultations to the
quality of our embryology
laboratory. These positively
contribute to our excellent
Dr Rajalaxmi Walavalkar,
Consultant, IVF and
Reproductive Surgery,
Cocoon Fertility
pregnancy rates. We believe
in listening to patients
patiently and educating them
about every step of their
treatment. This turned out to
be our USP. Most of our
patients tell us that it is the
first time they feel they have
been heard, it is the first time
they understand what the
issue is and it is the first time
they have been explained as
to how it can be sorted.
Our high success rates are
attributed to our work
discipline and the fact that all
our clinical decision making
and procedures are done by
our team of highly
experienced specialists only.
Our embryology lab is the
heart of our Cocoon Fertility
Centre. This is a state-of-theart
lab equipped with ultramodern
gadgets and
customised air filtration
system to achieve Grade A
air purity (EU-GMP).
With the help of the latest
equipment and modern
technology our embryology
lab is converted into a space
that is adjusted at the same
temperature, humidity,
cleanliness and atmosphere
of the womb, so that the
embryos can thrive
favourably and give positive
pregnancy results.
There is a debate that the
fertility industry is
misleading women? What is
your opinion on the same
and how would you clear
this air?
Dr Rajalaxmi : The industry
is often blamed with claiming
success rates higher than
they actually are for
conducting un-indicated IVF
treatments or for unclear
financial implications i.e.
hidden charges.
See in any business there
are good and bad guys.
Medical treatments are as
much about trust as success.
When our work is ethical,
when we provide the best
care to our patients, when we
deal with our patients with
complete honesty, I don’t
think we need to fear. The
trick is to care for your
patient like you would care
for a member of your family.
With this ethos you would
always do the right thing.
raelene.kambli@expressindia.com
38
EXPRESS HEALTHCARE
February 2018