Eastern Cape Health has just launched the province’s first public in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) clinic, which opened at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha last week, reports News24.
One of only five public facilities in South Africa offering IVF services, the clinic is fully equipped and operational, supported by a specialised multidisciplinary team, with two reproductive medicine sub-specialists, an embryologist, and three advanced midwife nurses.
The only central hospital in the province, Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital serves as the primary referral centre for rural and remote communities, and caters to about 3.6m people.
Health MEC Ntandokazi Capa said the IVF clinic would address a critical gap in reproductive health services, particularly in rural areas where infertility remains a significant but often overlooked health challenge.
“Infertility affects an estimated 10% to 15% of couples, with profound social, psychological, and cultural consequences, especially for women,” she added.
She said more than 300 patients had already undergone assessments, with 14 beginning treatment.
While costs of IVF are exorbitant in the private sector – a single cycle can range from R80 000 to R100 000 – the public IVF clinic offered affordable, regulated, and science-based care, with clear referral pathways and a focus on clinical eligibility and equity.
“To every woman who carried blame alone – you are not alone. To every family that lost hope – hope lives here now,” Capa said.
News24 article – ‘Hope lives here’: History made as first public IVF clinic launched in Eastern Cape
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