By Adeola Ogunlade
The President of Gen128 Fertility Foundation, Uwana Essienette has called on the Federal Government to provide access to NHIS-funding In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment as part of the effort toward supporting couples wanting to start a family.
Essienette said this at the Fertility Network organized by Gen128 fertility foundation in collaboration with Omege Golden Fertility, Lagos held recently at Omege Golden Fertility, Lagos
She stressed that the need for the inclusion of fertility and pregnancy support in the NHIS programme in Nigeria is imperative as couples having delay in childbirth go through depression and other mental conditions due to the high cost of accessing IVF treatment.
“The sky-high cost of IVF in private fertility centres across Nigeria has created an impassable financial barrier for many couples wanting to start a family”.
“The NHIS policy strategy as it today seem to exclude IVF treatments for couples wanting to have children through IVF”, she said
She noted that couples, who are making frantic effort at raising families, are doing us a service for the future; and we should be helping them do that,
“That’s a staggeringly high costs of IVF is huge especially when you consider that many women require multiple cycles to become pregnant and that there is no guarantee of success no matter how many cycles you go through,
“Given those costs, it is no wonder that many people say they just can’t afford to do fertility treatments. It’s really nothing short of heartbreaking.”
Essienette posited that the foundation is poised toward helping people bridge the gap between infertility to fertility”
“We feel privileged to have overcome infertility not by our making. However, we know that the cost of fertility checks and treatments is way too expensive and most couples cannot afford”.
She stressed that we are committed toward helping to reduce the cost of fertility treatment by providing grants and to educate couples about infertility. We are there for everyone, right through their journey whatever the outcomes.