Dr. Andabati Gozanga (R), a Fertility, IVF and Laparoscopy Lead Specialist at Bethany Women and Fertility Hospital,
Dr. Andabati Gozanga, a Fertility, IVF and Laparoscopy Lead Specialist at Bethany Women and Fertility Hospital, has rejected the proposal to limit donation of gamete (eggs and sperms) to people only above 18 years, saying this will lock out children who are diagnosed with medical conditions like cancer, from having children in future because the treatment they undergo may affect their fertility.
“There are some cases like those who have cancer problems, it is advised that they should keep their eggs or sperms, if we restrict this procedure to 18 years and above, our hands are tied, we wouldn’t be able to help those people. I think we need to add something to provide for that group because these people use the same storage services, they aren’t donating, but you still need to remove the eggs and sperms for harvesting before they go for cancer treatment, because otherwise, after the cancer treatment, all their eggs and sperms are wiped out and they will be sterile,” said Gozanga.
made the remarks in a meeting held between Parliament’s Health Committee and a team from Bethany Women and Fertility Hospital, that had appeared to provide their views on The Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill,2023 that was recently tabled by Sarah Opendi (DWR Tororo).
His remarks were in reaction to the provision in clause 17 (1) of The Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, 2023 that provides the a registered medical practitioner shall not harvest a gamete from a person who is below eighteen years of age, and the bill further in clause 17(2) imposes a 10 year jail term or fine of Shs200M for anyone found acting in contravention of this provision.
“We think it is wise to stretch the scope so that we allow those children to have their gametes stored or even biological tissues to be stored so that they can safely undergo their chemotherapy and later they can have their children. For example, people who have sickle cells when they are doing bone marrow transplant, they have to give them chemotherapy to destroy their bone marrow and then they replace the bone marrow, so in that time while they are clearing the bone marrow, also the immature sperm cells get cleared out as well,” added Dr. Gozanga
Bethany Fertility Hospital is also opposed to the provision of having activities of fertility clinics to be regulated by the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Council, citing lack of representation of expertise in fertility practice within the current Council’s composition.
He said, “The partners in fertility aren’t represented on the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Council and we wonder how you will be able to identify the key things to look at in terms of regulation, we are wondering if there is going to be any possibility of beefing up the Council because we see that as a source of delay or unfair assessments. I wonder how they will be able to know the fertility centres are supposed to have this type of people, equipment and documents they are meant to have.”
Damlie Ndabati, a fertility Specialist, said they have been offering fertility services for about 11years.
“We agreed with most of the provisions but in one of the provisions, the objective of the bill to provide for the establishment of sperm and embryo banks within the fertility centres. This will exclude the possibility that such services can be offered outside and if anybody offers it outside, this will not cover that. There may be independent sperm banks, so that the law provides for fertility centres within the fertility centres and those outside,”she said.
She added: “Although the classification of primary and secondary is popular, it isn’t standard classification because now, people are even talking about tertiary infertility. What is becoming clear is that there is that group of people who have the number of children they want, but they don’t have the sex they want, so those are being classified as having tertiary infertility and these people come for services, so it is just a simple thing, so we should leave it as suffer infertility, there is no need for primary or secondary infertility.”
In a related development, Isaac Otimgiw (Padyere County MP) rejected the proposal for individual consent to fertility services in Uganda, arguing that such a move will open up these services to the homosexuals in Uganda, but insisted wants to have both the women and man consent jointly to use of fertility treatment.
“When we align these bills, we are trying to align them with some other law already in place like the anti-homosexual law, it is already in place. Now when we start opening up the gaps where only a woman can consent, a man can consent, we are going to have lesbians coming in wanting to have children, we are going to have gay men coming in, using that gap. Yes, I see where you are coming from, but people will exploit that little gap for their own gains, so we shouldn’t lose sight of the previous laws in place which are already enacted that is why the Bill insists that the consent should always be for the couple for now. Maybe in future, if we find some good regulations to come about,” said Otimgiw.
