Finance scheme for fertility treatment

Paying for fertility treatment can be expensive with costs running up to Dh20,000 per session, but a UAE bank is now offering loans to both national and expatriate couples trying for children through the In Vitro Fertilisation technique. Through this scheme, couples can avail a loan up to Dh100,000 from the National Bank of ?Abu Dhabi. The loan must be repaid within a year, and offers a rate of 6.49 per cent on a reducing balance, as well as discounted processing fees. Officials at the bank said the actual figure of how many people will benefit can only be extracted once the numbers have been compiled post launch. Statistics, however, show that there are about 7,000 IVF treatments done annually with a 15 per cent prevalence of infertility here in the UAE. The NBAD IVF Fertility Financing is offered in cooperation with the Emirates Family Network (EFN), a non-profit agency. “The issue of infertility for some spouses have become one of the major issues that affect family stability, and all consider giving birth as a beautiful and natural event,”said Shaikha Dr Hind bint Abdul Aziz Al Qassimi, Honorary Chairperson of the Emirates Family Network. “It is even the miracle of life, but when spouses face problems in having children or concerning conception, we abstain to talk freely about it in the community.” George Beatty, the General Manager of Consumer and Elite Banking of NBAD, said the bank was pleased to partner with the Emirates Family Network on this initiative. “Such a scheme is unique to the UAE and is an example of NBAD bringing positive impact on society.” On an average, couples try three to four times before IVF is successful, making it out of reach for many in the country. The National Bank of Abu Dhabi is the first bank in the UAE to offer financing for IVF treatment. From : Khalij