Paul Obi in Abuja
The National Hospital, Abuja, at the weekend said the hospital has drastically reduced the cost of In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) to help couples encountering challenges in giving birth to children.
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of National Hospital, Abuja Dr. Jafaru Momoh, stated this during a one day seminar on IVF in the hospital.
Speaking against the backdrop of affordability and accessibility of IVF, Momoh explained that the decision to cut IVF cost was aimed at giving couples the opportunity to have their own children without the pains of exorbitant prices associated with IVF.
According to Momoh, “The bottom line of access in Nigeria is affordability; that is cost. We have been enlightening the public. National Hospital IVF programme is less than one fourth of the cost of IVF in the lowest private hospital cost range.
“For the technical feat, we are talking about N350,000, you’ll buy your drugs; that’s all. But you’ll spend close to N2 million in some private hospitals.
“We have recorded over 500 pregnancies and over 350 actually delivered in this hospital from the IVF programme. Of course, you know that IVF is what you commonly referred to as test tube baby,
“People should not mistake it to mean that we grow babies in a test tube; it is the natural process of giving birth that has been replicated at the laboratory at a very early stage and the baby is transferred within 48 hours, immediately it fertilizes, to the mother’s womb to carry the pregnancy.
“Therefore, there should be no stigma. People should be proud to say technology gave humans, which is knowledge given by God,” Momoh stated.
He added that they want to collaborate with other hospitals that can not do this, particularly, government hospitals. He urged them to refer their patients to the National Hospital.
“It is also possible to replicate this in sister hospitals; we are also ready to collaborate in training and this is the reason why we are celebrating so that people will know that indeed; more than 350 families have rejoiced as a result of delivering babies through this programme,” he stated.
