Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, says there is need for an Act that regulates fertility and reproductive health practice, and also protects practitioners.
He stated this during the 14th Annual International Conference of the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health (AFRH).
The theme of the conference was ” Collaboration for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART): Global Best Practices in Nigeria.”
He said, “We need protection, we need to be guided. Certain litigations are left at the discretion of judges because there are no enabling laws and most of the times, practitioners are the ones to suffer. Our elders have done so well to train us you also need to sit down and develop what we can do to practice to ensure that what we are doing is within the ethics of our profession.”
Sununu said there was need for practitioners to spotlight their services saying that the lack of accurate information about their services is underpaying them , and belittling them before other countries.
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He also called for a bank for healthcare practice in Nigeria saying it will enable healthcare practitioners to easily obtain loan at single digits.
He said, “Bank of Industry is there. But we need to also have a special one for healthcare practice. See what India is doing. We are losing billions of dollars as foreign exchange, just for people going to access healthcare outside the country.”
President of AFRH, Prof. Preye Fiebai, said collaboration is an indispensable pillar to ensure that Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment remains both innovative and accessible, while adhering to the highest standards of practice.
He said ART offers a pathway to fulfilling the dreams of parenthood for many couples experiencing infertility, especially at this time when fertility rates are declining worldwide.
He said Nigeria has witnessed a growing demand for ART services due to increasing awareness and social acceptance., adding “The promise of ART can however only be realized if we engage in partnerships that allow us to draw from the best practices worldwide and adapt them to our local content.”
