By Ezra Ukanwa, Abuja

AS part of efforts to add to the existing measures of tackling infertility in Nigeria, medical experts, on Friday, advised the Federal Government, FG, to make the cost of accessing treatments at government medical care centers affordable and available.

This call was made by the Chief Executive officer of NISA Premiere, Dr Ibrahim Wada, during the second series of outdoor sporting activity, Fertgames, in Abuja.

The Fertgames which was a day dedicated to honour infertile couples in Nigeria, brought together diverse fertility experts who have coordinated and offered fertility treatments over the years in Abuja.

According to Wada, the way to offer this services in the public domain so that more and more people can afford and access these treatments is a very critical part of the kind of effort that these young men and women are making.

Wada, therefore, called on medical professionals to ensure that the focus on delivering the best result to couples who are in need, through ethical adherence.

“The professionals themselves I want to advise that they focus on delivering the best possible results to couples who are in need because their objective is to have a child and we must not compromise in any way.

“Everything it takes for them to achieve those results. I plead for ethical practice. I appeal for moral practice. I plead for very professional ways of doing all these things. On the part of the couples themselves, they have a duty to present themselves to the Orthodox practice.

“And I mean this many people waste too much consulting here, consultant there, this cultural habit there, this other habit here and fertility is time to the woman’s age. I am not saying go for IVF but get to the medical center nearest to you so you can understand what’s going on and seek help.”

On his part, a fertility expert, Leslie Osayeke Osarome, stated that: “Infertility as they would say, is not a sickness. It is more or less like something you have, you know that you can actually deal with. Even on the National Health Insurance Authority scheme, they don’t have IVF readily available because they feel there is no urgency to it. You get married and you don’t get babies pregnant for the first year, two years, or three years, people still stall and wait for like four or five years before they happen.

“So, it’s not like, you have cancer today and you’re meant to start chemo. Yeah, so it is totally different and that’s why I think the government has not really looked towards that direction.

“Moving forward under the scheme of NHIA, it can be introduced, and see how they can come up with ways of seeing how this thing can work to cover the infertility aspect of IVF or whatever they really want to do”, he added.