Why IVF remains expensive for childless couples

Prices for in-vitro fertilisation treatment for couples wanting to have babies crashed through the floor in June and are expected to last till August after a private clinic pushed down cost by nearly two-thirds. Grabbo Fertility Clinic, based in Gwarimpa, Abuja pushed down cost of IVF treatment from around N1.5 million to N500,000, covering drugs […]

Prices for in-vitro fertilisation treatment for couples wanting to have babies crashed through the floor in June and are expected to last till August after a private clinic pushed down cost by nearly two-thirds.
Grabbo Fertility Clinic, based in Gwarimpa, Abuja pushed down cost of IVF treatment from around N1.5 million to N500,000, covering drugs and laboratory investigations, to give opportunity for fertility-challenged couples seeking IVF treatment.
Dr. Kate Onoja, consultant gynaecologist and infertility specialist at Grabbo, said cost of IVF treatment was high because drugs and consumables used in IVF were mostly important making it a preserve of mostly rich people.
She said including IVF treatment in cover provided by the National Health Insurance Scheme could make it more affordable for families in need.
“In the Western world, the government has a way of bearing a part of the burden for people that are having this challenge of bearing children, getting pregnant,” said Onoja.
“So it is so cheap for them that assessing this facility in their hospitals is very easy but here in Nigeria it is not so easy.”
IVF treatments for childless couples still see success rates of 50 to 70 percent in few hospitals that offer treatments, and experts describe the figures as encouraging.
Clinics specialising in IVF offer promos, including the choice of instalmental payments for couples in need, to encourage them to take the IVF option.
They are also looking to a Public Private Partnerships with government to open agencies to help the couples and further push down the cost of treatment.