Infertility stigma: Scourge Africa must end
infertility can be addressed, the processes are too expensive for many.
“Most healthcare facilities with such specialised equipment are found in cities, mostly Harare. It is costly for many in the rural areas who suffer greatly to get assistance,” she revealed.
With such an issue in the nation what is Government doing?
“This issue of fighting infertility stigma is something that had been overlooked. It was a project that did not have funding, so the services were mainly available in the private sector,” said Director of Family Health in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Bernard Madzima.
“The most critical thing is to raise awareness of the causes of infertility, making it known that the problem might actually lie in the man as opposed to the norm that it is always the woman who has a challenge.
“To achieve this, The Angel of Hope Foundation ( The First Lady’s Foundation), last year l i nked with an i nternational organisation called Merck Foundation and under that linkage there is programme called Merck More than a Mother.
“The programme tries to disseminate these messages using existing community structures such as chiefs’ wives, local leadership, doctors and healthcare workers as well as the community at large,” he revealed.
Dr Madzima added that they were also targeting players in the
‘‘ A study in South Africa shows that there is a higher level of anxiety, anger and depression among infertile women.
creative cultural sector to help spread the message.
“The arts sector will also play a pivotal role in raising awareness, and we are going to be working with them extensively next year. We are also going to set up clinics in remote areas so that the specialised treatment that is required is accessible to all come 2020.”
So dire is the situation that African First Ladies have come together in one voice to fight this stigma and raise awareness on the continent to the fact that it is not always about the woman; the man in the picture also contributes immensely.
In partnership with Merck
Foundation, the First Ladies converged in Ghana in October this year and deliberated on ways to end this scourge.
At the Accra conference, World Health Organisation statistics show that 186 million people around the world experience either primary or secondary infertility.
However, due to various factors such as poor health practices and lack of equipped healthcare providers and centres, the situation is grimmer in Africa. Some countries in Eastern and Central Africa are also described as the infertility belt in the world.
“WHO tells us again that even though infertility in men is the cause of 50 percent of the cases of a couple’s inability to conceive, the economic, psychological and social cultural burdens fall disproportionately on women. They suffer the most,” said President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo as he addressed delegates at the conference.
In Ethiopia, it is said that 85 percent of childless marriages end up in divorce. In Tanzania, they say a childless woman may not inherit the husband’s wealth.
A study in South Africa shows that there is a higher level of anxiety, anger and depression among infertile women.
“Here in Ghana, an infertile woman is treated as an outcast. I believe that the examples stated above are not peculiar to the countries stated, but represent what is prevailing on the African continent,” he added.
According to First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa who attended the deliberations, one of the ways to address the matter is through sensitising societies.
“I have worked in collaboration with various ministries, community leaders and other stakeholders to sensitise our communities to better understand the subject of infertility,” she said.
“We have also partnered with Merck Foundation and Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Care to build healthcare capacity and train future experts in Zimbabwe,” the First Lady said.