Cameroon to get first sperm bank in 2016

Plans are underway to put in place Cameroon’s first-ever sperm bank, initiators of the project have been announced.

The sperm bank to be planted in Bamenda by Capitol Higher Institute of Health Sciences and Beauty Therapies is expected to go operational on June 1, 2016, officials of the medical establishment told a news conference last week.

According to Ngalah Edward, Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Capitol Higher Institute of Health Sciences and Beauty Therapies, the sperm bank which will collect and store quantitative and qualitative sperms from sperm donors will be put in place with the technical and financial support of Denmark-based Cryos International Sperm Bank. Ngalah added that the sperm bank will be lodged at Capitol’s Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences.

Questioned on the importance of a sperm bank in an environment where many are not familiar with the fertility technology, Ngalah said it is going to help single ladies who want to bear children. In addition, he noted that that childless couples will also benefit from the sperm bank.

“It can improve on human species in future by cross-breeding of humans,” Ngalah disclosed.

Emphasizing that Capitol medical laboratory will officially kick-off next year, Ngalah said each donor will get 25 US dollars per donation as compensation. Each prospective donor will be thoroughly screened to be sure that they donate quality sperms, the official told reporters.

Mindful of the fact that the sperm bank technicians will collect sperms from black and white people who are less than 50 years, the Capitol official advised that once that bank goes operational, people should not be worried seeing a black lady with a white baby.

Health experts explained to reporters that a sperm bank is a facility that collects and stores human sperms from sperm donors for use by women who need donor-provided sperm to achieve pregnancy. While the sperm donated is known as donor sperm, the process for introducing the sperm into the woman is called artificial insemination, which is a form of third party reproduction, the experts added.

It is worth nothing that such form of fertility is still unknown to most Cameroonians; especially those in rural areas, as they mostly resort to tradi-practitioners to get their infertility problems treated.