Tree Top IVF success stories: 6 women pregnant

Since IVF treatment was introduced at Tree Top Hospital last May, six patients have undergone treatment and successfully gotten pregnant, the hospital announced Thursday.

When Tree Top started offering IVF for the first time in Maldives, there were hundreds of people who applied for it. There are about 150 people in waiting lists at the hospital and 16 people have been given IVF treatment so far. They include:

Speaking at a press conference held at Tree Top on Thursday, Dr Zakiya Ahmed, who leads the hospital's IVF centre, said that the treatment was officially started in July by selecting patients for IVF.

"Since July, we have been conducting batch IVF. We have been selecting a group of patients," she said.

The procedure will be conducted every day from next year.

"There is frustration of patients who have already registered because of the delay in IVF services. Hopefully in the future, the procedure will be conducted daily," she said.

IVF services will be started in batches at each centre, she informed.

Dr Anita Gour, who works with Tree Top, a dedicated IVF treatment professional, said, "We are trying to make the IVF service offered by Tree Top a world-class service”.

"One of the challenges at the moment is the challenge of bringing the drugs to Maldives. The permits and the amount of drugs available to Maldives are very limited," she said.

The drugs for IVF treatment are purchased directly from the pharmaceutical company and each person has to be given a specific dose according to their conditions.

"That's why we haven't started IVF [as a daily treatment]. IVF is a treatment where it is hard to tell which patient will need which dose," Zakiya said, emphasizing Anita's point.

Speaking at the press conference, Tree Top COO Adil Moosa said the entire IVF treatment procedure is conducted inside the hospital.

"There is no need to send anything out. Everything is done in our lab facility," he said.

Adil also mentioned the difficulties in obtaining medicines. He said the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) gives permission to import medicines into Maldives. He noted that it is difficult to obtain the necessary documents to import the drugs, especially since the drugs are not imported in large quantities.

Although this treatment is sought after by many people, the high cost of this treatment is a challenge for those who seek it. Anita said the availability of insurance for the treatment, whether through the government insurance system, Aasandha or private insurance, would be a relief for those who want to undergo IVF.

"Getting this treatment in the country is a financial relief. The cost of going abroad will be saved. Also, patients need to avoid stress after this procedure. It will be a relief for both couples to get this treatment while they are close to their families," she said.

Tree Top expects the number of people seeking IVF treatment to increase as the government announces the availability of IVF treatment through Aasandha.

People with fertility problems or those who have difficulties in conceiving naturally incur significant costs for IVF and IUI to have a baby. Tree Top’s fertility clinic charges MVR 46,000 per patient.

Inclusion of IVF treatment in Aasandha is one of President Muizzu's first 100-days promises.