Nurses not qualified to administer fertility treatment, says AFRH president

Nurses not qualified to administer fertility treatment, says AFRH president

The President of the Association for Fertility and Reproductive Health, Prof. Preye Fiebai, says nurses are not qualified to administer fertility treatment to clients in any medical facility.

He clarified that nurses could only assist physicians in administering the treatment and not treat “infertility on their own.”

Fiebai’s statement is coming on the heels of the arraignment of a fake fertility nurse in Enugu State by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission before Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, who defrauded women about N28.2m.

The EFCC, in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, noted that the fake nurse, Blessing David-Agwa, criminal issues began on August 28 when the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency handed her over to the anti-graft agency for investigation and possible prosecution after discovering that she had presented herself as a medical fertility nurse, thereby defrauding unsuspecting victims.

The fake nurse, who allegedly forged certificates from the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, used them to falsely present herself as a fertility nurse and defrauded over 45 innocent women.

PUNCH Healthwise earlier reported the proliferation of fertility clinics in the country by unregistered practitioners.

The experts had expressed concern that such centres could cause irreversible damage to women, especially the elderly and women desperate to have children.

The report highlighted how due to the increased demand for assisted reproductive techniques by persons who desire to have children, fertility clinics were springing up in cities at an alarming rate.

Although a report by the World Bank stated that the fertility rate in Nigeria stands at about 5.4 births per woman in 2018, indicating a high fertility rate, newer studies and reports have shown an increase in infertility rates.

For instance, the World Health Organisation in 2023 stated that about 17.5 per cent of the adult population, representing one in six people, worldwide experience infertility.

The Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2018 further noted that about 25 per cent of married women in Nigeria are experiencing primary infertility, while 16 per cent are experiencing secondary infertility.

Infertility could be treated with medicine, surgery or assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilisation.

Speaking on the issue in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, the AFRH president asserted that nurses were not qualified to treat infertility independently.

He said, “Nurses are trained to assist physicians in administering treatment to patients. They are certainly not qualified to treat infertility on their own.”

The don warned persons unqualified to offer fertility services to refrain from doing so.

He decried the lack of law enforcement in the country, stating that it had made the country lawless.

Fiebai advised persons seeking fertility treatment to ensure they verify the authenticity and qualifications of the professionals they intend to use before utilising their services.

He said, “I advise anyone in any field who is not qualified to offer services to the unsuspecting public not to do so. Unfortunately, the poor situation regarding law enforcement has made the country a lawless one. I would advise patients seeking fertility treatment to ensure that they verify the authenticity and qualification of all health professionals offering services before they utilise them.”