Safety and access

ESHRE supports WHO Global Summit on Safety and Access to Fertility Care

On 5-6 December 2018 in Geneva, WHO organized the first ever Global Summit on Safety and Access to Fertility Care aimed at developing strategies for improving access to safe, ethical, and cost-effective fertility care in low to middle income countries (LMIC). The main objective was to focus on the needs of over 40 LMIC in delivering global access to fertility care services as a strategic priority and identifying goals that universally promote healthy lives and well-being for all. In particular, the meeting consensus identified health system strengthening, appropriate HR resource and training as high priorities.

The summit gathered a number of experts from professional societies, industry, academia, government, and patient advocacy to assess the current situation of fertility care in LMIC with special attention to the challenge of providing fertility investigation at affordable costs, implementing effective interventions with minimal harm in a safe and controlled manner to ensure high standard provision.

It was emphasized again that infertility is a disease, and for this reason, it is important to develop strategies for its inclusion in the national health care agendas and international classifications of diseases. In addition, there was general consensus regarding the need of data collection and management, guidelines, and education at all levels.
ESHRE contributed to this event from its inception as co-sponsors and committed support for speakers and delegates in the belief that the summit was a milestone towards the design of a common strategy to assist those millions of couples needing medical assistance to fulfil their child wish and create a family.