#Iraqi couple arrives in city for #IVF

MEERUT: Shwan Hafdan Hussein, 52, and Sozan Hamad Mustafa, 46, are in Meerut from Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous region of Iraq.

They say that after seven years of marriage and several rounds of treatment back home, they had almost given up hope of ever becoming parents when a friend told them to come to India and try in-vitro fertilization here.

Now, having conceived, the couple is all praise for India. “We’ve been married seven years. Childless all these years, it felt a little incomplete. My wife and I tried treatment in Iraq, but in vain. Then, my Indian friend told me of the high success rate of IVF here,” said Hussein, referring to his friend Manoj Tiwari who lives in Faridabad.

Rama Tiwari, his friend’s wife, had accompanied the couple to Meerut, where they had arrived after a long search for suitable IVF centres. Dr Singh’s Test Tube Baby Centre, the couple said, showed good results and was close to Faridabad, where their friends lived.

“Doctors have just told us that my wife has conceived. We are so happy to be able to have our first baby,” Hussein told TOI.

Asked of how the couple first decided to arrive in India, Hussein said, “I have read about the history of India. I have long been fascinated by India. We watch Bollywood movies. I am a big fan of Dilip Kumar. I’m glad our baby will have a connection with this place.”

Dr Shashi Singh, who was in charge of the treatment procedure, said, “The fallopian tubes of Sozan were blocked. That is why she was unable to conceive in the normal course. I have provided her with apt medication. The couple will return when the baby is due for delivery. That can occur even in their own country but it would be better for them to return, since we know the case so well now and can take the necessary precautions.”