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From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
A reproductive health expert, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi on Friday in Asaba, decried the impact of inflation and the devalued Nigerian currency on the treatment of infertility in the country.
Dr. Ajayi who is the founder of Nordica Fertility Centre, said the cost of rendering In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) to couple in need of children has become astronomical in the face of the prevailing economic realities in Nigeria.
At a news conference to herald the 14th year anniversary of the establishment of the infertility treatment in Asaba, Dr. Ajayi said his clinic was now subsidizing the cost of IVF for patients, adding that the cost was however cheaper than what obtains in developed countries.
As a result of the cost differentials, Ajayi stated that Nigeria was now experinecing medical tourism of some sorts, disclosing that Nigerians based in the United States and America and United Kingdom were coming back home for the technologically driven medical service.
“The economy affects us more because this is a technologically driven process. We are still subsidising our services for more couples to afford IVF.
“However, people in the US and UK are coming for treatment here because it is cheaper particularly when they convert their foreign currency to our naira.
“Naira has no value but it is difficult to get. If we increase the amount for our services, those who can afford will dwindle. It is a double edged sword.
“Worse still is that we don’t manufacture anything in Nigeria, so if you are going to get anything of quality, it has to be imported. It is as bad as that. The fluid we are using to clean the table in the laboratory is imported from Germany.
“When we looked at how much ten liters of that thing costs, somebody just said we should look for a substitute. But we said no, that we have used it for 20 years, and we know it works, and it is difficult to change a winning team.
“One of our chaps went to Swtizerland to train, another one went to Spain. I asked them to look out for what they were using to clean the table over there, maybe it might be cheaper than what we are using.
“That is what we are trying to do, not compromising standard. We are still sticking to this one so that we don’t lower our standard no matter what happens to the naira because we know that this a phase that will pass,” he said.
Dr. Ajayi also reiterated his appeal to couples to avoid the temptation of going to baby factories for solution to childlessness, urging them to rather explore the possibility of artificial conception through IVF.
