NOT fewer than 78 babies have been delivered through the Lagos Sate Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) programme domiciled in the Institute of Fertility Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and carried out in collaboration with
The Bridge Clinic, a private In- Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) centre.
This was revealed by the Coordinating Consultant Institute of Fertility Medicine, LASUTH, Dr Adeniyi Adewunmi at a Stakeholders Forum organised by the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health and the Lagos State Ministry of Health through the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) for practitioners of assisted reproductive technology.
Adewunmi said: “Over 77 babies have been produced through this intervention and I am glad to report that they are all alive.”
He recalled that the programme took off in 2011 as a government initiative in response to the need to increase access to medical intervention to infertility, especially amongst the average Lagosians.
“ART is the technology used to achieve pregnancy in procedures, such as fertility medication, in vitro fertilisation, and surrogacy. It is reproductive technology used primarily for infertility treatments, and is also known as fertility treatment.”
Adewunmi assured that LASUTH is gunning to be among the first five IVF centres in Nigeria because the government is exploring all available resources to that end.
Similarly, he said human resources are being looked into as the state government is planning on further training for the specialists.
Commissioner for Health Dr Jide Idris said infertility is a growing health concern, “and as a responsive and responsible government, more energy is being deployed towards this, including campaign and advocacy for men to present themselves for screening because male factor in infertility is real”.