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.
UCH”s Chief Medical Director, Professor Temitope Alonge said this centre, which is the biggest in Nigeria, will also be training doctors to provide fertility treatment.
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 hospital, through women’s market programme in Access Bank has now made infertility treatment affordable and accessible to all couples with an infertility problem.
He stated that IVF treatment at the centre will cost less than N750, 000 in contrast to other infertility centres in the country that charge at least N1.5 million.
According to the CMD, “they have a special programme that relates to women’s health and part of which is fertility treatment. They actually offer facilities for women to undertake IVF.
“We know that the cost of fertility care is not easily affordable by many clients. They agreed to have a low-cost IVF at a cost not more than N750, 000 so that when the loans are given they do not have to add to it.”
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.
According to her, “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.”
Professor Sina Oladokun, a fertility expert and gynaecologist in charge of the IVF centre said patients with infertility were before now sent to other hospitals to access.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune
