Nigeria records reverse medical tourism in fertility treatments

The Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health (AFRH) says Nigeria is recording an influx of people from other countries to Nigeria for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatments.

Dr Sunday Onuh, the Chairman local organizing committee of the 2024 AFRH annual international conference, stated this Thursday in Abuja while briefing news men about the conference.

The conference is themed “Collaboration for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART): Global best practices in Nigeria”.

Dr Onuh said the reversed medical tourism is driven by the affordability of fertility treatments such as In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) in Nigeria as well as the success rate.

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“We have seen people who have done IVF five times in the United Kingdom, and they just come here once, and they conceive and go back. This year in my practice alone, I have witnessed 40% of patients from outside the country and the trend is similar with my colleagues because to do a successful IVF cycle in the US is about $20,000 but with $6,000 it takes care of their transport here, accommodation, and their treatment.”

He said the AFRH international conference, which is slated for 18th to 20th September, brings together leading experts, researchers, clinicians , policy makers and stakeholders from across the globe .

“The conference serves as a dynamic platform for exchanging knowledge, discussing innovative solutions and fostering collaboration to advance the field of   ART and reproductive health in Nigeria. It will feature two key sub themes “Groundbreaking Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and “Advancing ethical practices in third party Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)”, he said.

He said that even though there was a little delay in bringing ART to Nigeria, the country has recorded so much progress in it that it has become a force to reckon with in the world.

He said, “As of today, there is hardly any ART that has not been brought home to Nigeria, largely driven by the private sector. By virtue of some of our members, the public sector has embraced it; and we are trying to make sure that ART is available to a lot of Nigerians that need it, including those that don’t have the means.”

Renowned fertility expert and chief executive officer of Nisa Group, Dr Ibrahim Wada, said ARFH was working assiduously with the federal government and the national assembly towards ensuring effective regulatory framework for the practice of ART in Nigeria.

He said the association met recently with the chairman, House of Representatives, committee on health towards ensuring a regulatory act on ART.

Dr Wada said the inclusion of fertility treatments in the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) would go a long way to make ART affordable for couples who need it in the country.