Governor Monday Installs IVF Equipment at Edo Specialist Hospital, Expands Fertility Care

The Edo State Government has installed In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) equipment at the Edo Specialist Hospital, Benin, in a move aimed at expanding fertility services for couples experiencing difficulty conceiving.

Hospital management said the new equipment will make assisted reproductive treatment available to more families in Edo State, reducing the need for patients to seek IVF services outside the state.

Speaking during a press conference to mark the hospital’s seventh anniversary, the Chief Medical Director of Edo Specialist Hospital, Dr. Anthonia Inibokun Njoku, said the facility will provide new opportunities for couples who have been unable to conceive naturally.

She commended Governor Monday Okpebholo for approving the acquisition of the equipment, describing it as another investment in healthcare delivery across the state.

According to her, the introduction of IVF services is expected to improve access to reproductive healthcare while giving many couples the chance to receive specialised treatment closer to home.

Beyond the new fertility service, Dr. Njoku announced that the hospital’s residency training programme in Obstetrics and Gynaecology has received full accreditation from the West African College of Surgeons and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.

She also disclosed that the hospital recently secured accreditation for its Family Medicine and Dentistry departments, further strengthening its role in specialist medical training.

The CMD said the Edo State Government has also approved the absorption of 126 contract workers into the state workforce and granted the hospital approval to recruit additional healthcare personnel, bringing the total number of new employees to more than 290.

She added that Edo Specialist Hospital has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mudiame University, Irrua, to serve as a teaching hospital for the training of medical students.

According to her, the hospital now provides Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) services to improve maternal and newborn healthcare.

She further stated that the facility is accredited under both the Edo State Health Insurance Scheme (EDOHIS) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), enabling beneficiaries of the two programmes to receive treatment at the hospital.

Activities marking the hospital’s seventh anniversary ended with a guided tour of the facility, where journalists were shown the newly installed IVF equipment and other medical facilities available at the hospital.