Why foreigners flock Nigeria for IVF treatment – Experts

Foreigners and Nigerians in the diaspora are increasingly coming to Nigeria for in-vitro fertilisation treatment because of the relatively cheaper cost of the procedure, fertility experts have said.

They disclosed this on Friday at the joint meeting of the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health and the African Federation of Fertility Societies to raise awareness ahead of their September 24 international conference in Abuja.

The development, which specialists described as “reverse medical tourism”, is occurring despite the high cost of IVF treatment in Nigeria, largely driven by the country’s dependence on imported drugs and other materials required for assisted reproduction.

Addressing journalists, the President of the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health, Prof Preye Fiebai, explained that the cost of IVF remained high because most of the materials required for the procedure were imported.

According to him, local innovations were being developed but required greater investment and collaboration to become widely available.

He said, “The cost of IVF treatment is still high, because of the cost of providing what you require. The majority of what is utilised is imported. The drugs are imported. We don’t really produce much in Nigeria.

“We’ve tried. However, there are some innovations in Abuja. We have a facility, Institute for Medical Science in Africa, that is trying to develop the capacity for research. It’s working hard to introduce innovative local solutions to a lot of what we are doing.

“We need support because it costs a lot of money. We need collaboration, investments, so that these things can be replicated. The science matters a lot, and many of us are also in the academia, among other areas. We need to provide support to provide the requirements here.”

Despite the high cost, he said IVF treatment in Nigeria remained cheaper than in many countries, making the country increasingly attractive to foreign patients.

“The major reason why the cost is high is because of the cost of providing the service. However, despite this high cost, IVF is much cheaper than most of the places where we are coming from.

“We still have a lot of reverse medical tourism going on in the country. And as I mentioned earlier, people are coming from the diaspora to do IVF treatment because it is cheaper in Nigeria,” he stated.

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Fiebai also raised concerns that poor reporting of IVF procedures was also limiting Nigeria’s recognition in the global fertility industry.

While foreign patients are taking advantage of Nigeria’s relatively cheaper IVF services, Fiebai, however, lamented that many Nigerians who require treatment could not afford it.

Sharing his sentiment, Co-chair of the Local Organising Committee of the conference, Dr Sunday Onuh, said the reverse medical tourism trend was becoming evident across Africa.

“If we take a cue, we are having people coming from outside the continent to Africa to have their fertility treatment, knowing that they can get the same results at cheaper price.

“So, we’re having a reverse medical tourism in that field. That’s also why we’ve decided to gather together as Africans, inviting the world to propagate the science of fertility treatment and beyond,” he stated.

Onuh said the growing international interest in African fertility care was reflected in the participation of major global reproductive health organisations.

“It’s not just another gathering or a usual gathering. It’s very intentional. And because of that, you can see that it attracted the presence of the American society, European society, the international federation and other people coming to make us Africa proud in science.”

Earlier in his virtual address, the President of the African Federation of Fertility Societies, Paul La Roux, said the meeting would bring fertility professionals from across Africa together.

The President-elect of the African Federation of Fertility Societies, Mohamed Khrouf, also described the meeting as the culmination of years of collaboration among African fertility professionals.

He said the level of international participation showed the growing recognition of Africa’s fertility expertise.