Tanzania, May 11 -- Dar es Salaam. As In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) continues to offer hope to couples struggling with infertility, debate has intensified over treatment costs at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), where a single cycle ranges between Sh14 million and Sh18 million.

To many Tanzanians, the price appears prohibitively high. However, Head of the IVF unit at MNH and consultant obstetrician-gynaecologist, Dr Matilda Ngarina, says the cost reflects a highly complex medical process dependent on advanced technology, tightly controlled laboratory conditions, imported medicines and round-the-clock supervision by trained professionals.

According to MNH, patients who successfully preserve embryos but do not conceive on the first attem...