FERTILITY CARE IN LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES: Implementing fertility care: insights from a participatory workshop in The Gambia

Abstract

In The Gambia, a partnership of stakeholders from various domains, including research, grassroots activism, clinicians, and policymakers, contributed to an increased awareness of infertility. This, in turn, led to the inclusion of infertility in the national reproductive health strategic plan. An in-country participatory workshop involving participants from both public and private health sectors was held in October 2023 with the objective of identifying priorities for moving beyond planning to implementation, within the context of resource constraints. The top three identified priorities were: (i) training about infertility for health providers; (ii) harmonisation of data collection; and (iii) the development of clinical guidelines for infertility management. It is important for the Gambian Ministry of Health to implement these proposed locally relevant fertility care activities. Despite current and future challenges, having a clear vision and pathway will help establish fertility care in the country, with Gambia potentially leading the way among many other countries.