Kuala Lumpur:The National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), in collaboration with MERCK Malaysia, has introduced a comprehensive module aimed at equipping primary healthcare practitioners with essential knowledge and skills to address fertility and subfertility issues.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Infertility Counselling Module for Primary Care was developed to fill gaps in current services by equipping healthcare practitioners not only with clinical knowledge but also with counselling skills to provide emotional support to couples struggling to conceive. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri highlighted the importance of addressing both clinical and emotional needs of patients.

The module was created with input from experts across various sectors, ensuring its effectiveness as an early reference tool in primary healthcare. Nancy emphasized the need for counselling support to mitigate emotional stress and depression faced by many couples, and noted the module would streamline referrals between sectors, facilitating access to appropriate treatments and interventions.

Nancy also stressed the need to raise awareness of fertility issues across society, pointing out that infertility should not be viewed as a problem affecting only women. She cited a World Health Organization study indicating that male factors contribute to infertility in 45.1% of cases, supported by LPPKN data showing abnormal semen analysis results in 60% of cases from 2010 to 2019.

She urged couples to undergo fertility assessments and seek treatment earlier, as 44.2% of couples currently do so after more than five years of trying to conceive. On fertility assistance initiatives, Nancy mentioned that funding for treatments like intrauterine insemination (IUI) is already included annually under the ministry's allocation through LPPKN.