- Now, infertile couples can have a baby with less than $2,000
The University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan on Thursday commissioned its N200million in vitro fertilization (IVF) centre to provide low-cost IVF services to infertility couples in Nigeria.
Inaugurating the centre on Thursday, Prof. Temitope Alonge, the Chief Medical Director of hospital said the facility would provide one of the cheapest IVF treatment in the country, adding that a procedure would cost N750, 000, in contrast to other infertility centres in the country that charge at least N1.5 million.
“This will make the process affordable and accessible to many Nigerians,’’ he said.
Professor Alonge declared that about that 20 per cent of Nigerian couples are infertile and that the problem had led to many couples suffering in silence and broken homes because they cannot have children.
He said the facility built through Public-Private Partnership with Access Bank would also provide a training ground for resident doctors.
“There are many couples in Nigeria who continue to live through the pain of infertility and a recent study shows that 20 per cent of Nigerian couples are infertile and that is a substantial number.
“This growing incidence of infertility has wrecked some homes and it has become paramount to provide affordable fertility to all.
“The cost of care at the facility has also been greatly reduced to about N750, 000 to make it easily accessible to many couples who otherwise couldn’t afford the high cost of assisted reproductive care.
“The centre also forms an integral part of training of doctors in gynaecology and obstetrics.
“The challenge of fertility care is a global issue and this clinic will serve as a training centre,’’ he said.
Prof. Shina Oladokun, a Consultant Obstetrician and head of the centre said IVF treatment was becoming increasingly reliable in helping women beat the odds of infertility.
He advised couples with fertility problem and who desired to have children to always seek early intervention and counseling to increase the chance of success.
Head, Women Banking, Access Bank, Mrs Ada Udechukwu stated that the bank decided on the intervention because infertility was a critical issue that limits women’s wellbeing.
She stated that in a survey by the bank, many women rated infertility as highest because it was very expensive and difficult to tackle because of the cultural bias on assisted reproductive technology to ensure pregnancy.
Mrs Udechukwu said that the banks’ maternal health service support product aimed at helping women access quality healthcare at a discounted financing had achieved 56 babies through IVF in Nigeria and 4 other babies in Ghana and Rwanda since it commenced in 2014.
“We want to see many lives imparted, we want to be able to assist their choice of motherhood and parenthood. At Access bank, we do much more than banking. We actually want women to grow. We want to see them happy,” she said.