By IJEOMA UKAZU
First Ladies of the African region and Merck Foundation has condemned all forms of discrimination and stigma against women who are infertile.
They made this known at the 9th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary Conference in Dubai, calling for the end of infertility stigma for couples who are facing challenges in conception, adding that provision and access to quality healthcare in the region would curb infertility problems.
Speaking during her address, Botswana’s first lady, Neo Masisi points out that Botswana as a country only has one fertility specialist leading to more suffering of women.
Masisi stated, “Women continue to suffer from social stigma, putting them further at risk of abuse by their partners, family members, and the community.”
Pointing to the challenges in the African region, she said the accessibility, affordability, and availability of fertility services remain a challenge in the landlocked southern African nation.
Botswana’s first lady revealed that “There are a limited number of gynecologists in the public sector and to illustrate the dire gap in service provision, there is only one fertility specialist who is in the private sector and based in the capital city, Gaborone.”
Masisi adds, “Those in the rural areas are automatically disadvantaged as not only can they not afford the use of these services but they do not have the economic muscle.”
Giving a description of infertility, Ghana’s first lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo described the culture of stigmatizing childless couples in societies as ‘gross injustice’ and unacceptable.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo said “Infertility especially for African women is a huge challenge. Growing up, I saw how stigma and lack of support traumatized women labeled as infertile, to me, this was a gross injustice.”
She applauded Merck Foundation’s “More Than a Mother” initiative, aimed at breaking the stigma around infertility strikes a chord in her heart, considering that it seeks to throw light on infertility and its attendant stigma, particularly against women.
Through the support of the Merck Foundation, she said, Ghana has received specialist training for some medical officers which has contributed to improving access to equitable and quality healthcare solutions in the healthcare sector.
“The support provided by Merck Foundation to support infertility and other medical conditions in Ghana has been immense. There is the need to advocate for a cultural shift that supports women and society.”
Mrs. Akufo-Addo, further applauded Merck Foundation for its role in promoting girl-child education in Ghana, indicating that her office and Merck Foundation are working together to inspire girl-child education in Ghana.
Speaking in her opening remarks, the Chief Executive Officer, Merck Foundation, CEO, Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej, commended African First Ladies for their collaborative roles in breaking the infertility stigma on the African Continent, as well as helping to train more specialized doctors for the continent’s healthcare sector.
Dr. Kelej said the numerous inputs of the various African First Ladies have really gone far to raise awareness on the Foundation’s flagship program, the Merck Foundation’s More Than a Mother initiative, which seeks to break the stigma around infertility in Africa.
According to her, the conference will help to discuss strategies and solutions to improve quality healthcare delivery in various African countries as well as in parts of Asia and Latin America.
“I am happy that the Merck Foundation has realized the strategy to improve access to quality healthcare solutions in each country in Africa.”
She said Merck Foundation through its scholarships has built the capacities of medical doctors across various African countries in the areas of diabetes, cardiovascular, endocrinology, cancer, fertility care, women’s health, sexual and reproductive care, respiratory medicines, acute medicines, and research.
Merck Foundation CEO further noted that it was the Foundation’s goal to train more health personnel in areas such as Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, Mental Health, Orthopedic Trauma, Paediatric, Emergency Medicine, Dermatology, Neonatal Medicine, Pain Management, Psychiatry, Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Ophthalmology, Urology, Trauma and orthopedics in Africa.
Contributing, the Chairman of both the Executive Board of E. Merck KG and Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, Professor. Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, in his address, expressed his appreciation to all the African First Ladies for working to raise awareness on infertility, diabetes, and hypertension, as well as other diseases, including cancers in their respective countries.
He said Merck Foundation since its inception has provided more than 1,400 scholarships to healthcare givers in over 50 countries in Africa and Asia to undertake a one-year Diploma and two-year Master’s programs in different specialized areas.
Prof. Stangenberg-Haverkamp adds that the training that Merck Foundation has given its beneficiary medical officers has contributed significantly to improving healthcare delivery across their operative countries.
He said, “Many of those who have benefited from Merck Foundation’s scholarships have become specialists in their health facilities, providing essential healthcare solutions.”
He called on all the African First Ladies to continue to work with the Foundation to achieve greater impacts in Africa in improving healthcare delivery.
He said good healthcare “can transform the lives of individuals and families across developing countries”, and that the provision of good healthcare solutions “can as well contribute to the sustainable economic development.”
“Healthcare is a major driver of economic growth and consequently, social progress,” Prof. Stangenberg-Haverkamp noted.