Expert advocates public private partnership in treatment of IVF

To assist families overcome challenges of child bearing via In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), government should adopt a Public-private partnership (PPP) so as to make the treatment affordable for couples, a Consultant Gynecologist, Dr. Kate Onoja, has said.

Onoja, who said over 15 per cent of Nigerian couples have challenges with child bearing, noted that government through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) should collaborate with private medical practitioners rendering fertility services, to assist affected persons.

Onoja said government needed to play a critical role in ensuring that people, who have difficulty conceiving avail themselves of services of the fertility facilities with support from the NHIS.

Noting that the most efficient way to get involved would be for agencies in the Ministry of Health to collaborate with the fertility homes, she said, ‘’We don’t have any agency we collaborate with to raise funding for people, as we would appreciate it if government opens up the NHIS to such matters. If they can come to us on PPP arrangements, we will be ready to collaborate for the benefit of the masses.”

On the reason for the high cost for IVF, she said, “The drugs and consumables we use for treatment are manufactured overseas. The cost of importation is very high. In the West, government has a way of subsidising a part of the burden for people that are having the challenge of bearing children. The government bears part of the cost, so it is very cheap for them.”