Mumbai, Oct 3 (IANS): With the aim to take its facilities to smaller cities, a leading infertility treatment chain, Indira IVF, has announced plans to invest Rs. 250 crore to expand the number of its centres in the country from 28 to 50 by 2020.

"The vision is to make advanced fertility facilities available in all parts of India so that patients do not have to travel more than 150 kms for treatment," the IVF chain said in statement.

After establishing its roots in the northern parts of the country, Indira IVF, which set up its 28th centre in Borivali, Mumbai in late September, said it wants to focus on strengthening its services in the southern regions.

"Now after reaching in all the metro and Tier-I cities across the country, Indira IVF plans to target the southern regions and Tier-II cities of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka in the subsequent stages of expansion," said Ajay Murdia, Founder and Chairman, Indira IVF group.

"The expansion drive will start with cities like Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Vizag, Warangal, Davangere and Raichur to name a few," Murdia added.

Indira IVF recently inaugurated centres in Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru as well. 

"With 30 successful years of their service, the company still continues to be the largest chain of infertility clinics in India," Rinoy Sreedharan, IVF expert and head, Indira IVF, Borivali, Mumbai, said.

According to an Ernst & Young report, more than 15 per cent of married couples in India seek IVF treatment and over 30 million couples suffer from infertility.