By Anita Dangazele
- Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa officially opened the new public IVF clinic at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha on Friday.
- The new clinic has a full IVF laboratory run by two fertility specialists, an embryologist and three highly trained midwives.
Couples struggling to have children in the Eastern Cape can now get help at a new public IVF clinic in Mthatha.
Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa opened the clinic at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital on Friday.
It is only the fourth public hospital in South Africa to offer IVF services.
The other three are Groote Schuur Hospital and Tygerberg Hospital in the Western Cape, and Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Gauteng.
People in the Eastern Cape no longer have to travel far or pay high fees at private clinics.
Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital has served remote communities in the north-eastern region of the province since it opened in 2004.
It provides specialist care to about 3.6 million people.
Department spokesperson Camagwini Mavovana said about 10 to 15% of couples in South Africa are affected by infertility.
In rural areas, this causes serious social and emotional stress, especially for women.
“This clinic comes at a critical time,” she said.
The clinic has a full IVF laboratory. It is run by two fertility specialists, an embryologist and three highly trained midwives.
The clinic will operate as a self-sustaining public service. This means it will not rely on external funding.
It also aims to develop local medical skills in reproductive health.
Capa said her department was proud to bring this service to the province for the first time.
“It’s the first one in this province, we’re excited about what it will do for our people,” she said.
Pictured above: The opening of the new department.
Image source: Eastern Cape Health Department