Zora Health / Employer guide / Middle East and Africa
Compare fertility support for employees across 19 markets in the Middle East and Africa.
Public IVF funding, eligibility rules and leave differ from one market to the next. Across these 19 guides, IVF is clearly state funded only in Israel, Oman and Turkey, and for Emirati nationals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai; elsewhere most employees, including most expatriates, pay privately. Surrogacy is prohibited in Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia and not permitted in Turkey, and only Israel lets employees use statutory leave for treatment. Each country guide has the full detail and sources.
Overview
| Country | Public IVF funding | Eligibility and limits | Egg freezing | Surrogacy | Maternity and paternity leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi | Thiqa covers married Emiratis, 6 retrievals a year; expatriates usually none | Married couples; Thiqa preferred age 18 to 47 for women | Allowed; Thiqa funds single women aged 30 to 45 | Federal ban lifted; each emirate may set rules | Maternity 60 days; parental leave 5 working days |
| Bahrain | Public IVF at government hospitals; conditional for Bahrainis, cycles not stated | Married couples only, using their own eggs and sperm | No rule found allowing it for unmarried women | Prohibited | Maternity 60 days full pay plus 15 unpaid; paternity 1 day |
| Dubai | Free for eligible Emiratis, up to 3 attempts a year; expatriates excluded | Al Amal: Emiratis married over 1 year; unmarried non-Muslim couples may apply | DHA 2023 policy: never-married excluded; divorced or widowed need medical reason | Federal ban removed; left to each emirate | Maternity 60 days; parental 5 working days; DIFC rules differ |
| Egypt | No confirmed public funding; most employees pay privately | Married couples only, using their own eggs and sperm | Offered by clinics; ministry says a law is needed first | Prohibited | Maternity 4 months paid; paternity 1 day |
| Ghana | None; NHIS does not cover infertility treatment | No ART law; regulations with age limits being drafted | Offered by private clinics; no specific law | Recognised but unregulated; High Court parental orders | Maternity 12 weeks full pay; no statutory paternity leave |
| Israel | Health basket funds IVF for a first and second child | Funded to the 45th birthday; single women without children included | Allowed at 30 to 41; mostly self-funded | Legal and regulated; open to same-sex couples and single men | Maternity 26 weeks, 15 paid; sick leave usable for treatment |
| Jordan | No public IVF funding found; insured patients may get medicines | Married couples only, with both spouses’ written consent | Offered by clinics; no statute regulates it | Not addressed by law | Maternity 90 days (2025 amendment); paternity 3 days |
| Kenya | SHA excludes IVF for most; teachers get 2 lifetime attempts | No statute; Mwalimu cover requires female partner 41 or under | Offered by clinics; no legal limits; self-funded | Unregulated; ART Bill would allow altruistic only | Maternity 3 months; paternity 2 weeks, both full pay |
| Kuwait | Ministry of Health units for Kuwaitis; no cover found for expatriates | Married couples only, own eggs and sperm, under Sharia practice | Offered privately; conditions include marriage | Not recognised; court refused paternity after surrogacy abroad | Maternity 70 days full pay; no statutory paternity leave |
| Lebanon | No public IVF funding found; patients pay themselves | No national law; rules vary by religious community | Offered to single women; no specific law | No national law; depends on religious community | Maternity 10 weeks full pay; no statutory paternity leave |
| Mauritius | Free IUI at public SSRN clinic; no public IVF found | No statute; clinics set access rules | Offered privately; no statutory limits | No law permits or prohibits it | Maternity 16 weeks; paternity 4 weeks, both full pay |
| Morocco | AMO excludes the IVF procedure; partly reimburses 9 medicines | Married couples only, using their own eggs and sperm | Medical grounds only in law; clinics freeze for unmarried women | Prohibited | Maternity 14 weeks; paternity 3 days |
| Nigeria | None; IVF outside NHIA packages and most HMO plans | No federal law; Lagos guidelines cap women at 54 | Offered privately; no statutory limits; self-funded | Unregulated; agreements treated as private contracts | Maternity 12 weeks, at least half pay; no private paternity leave |
| Oman | Free IVF at the government centre for eligible couples | Married couples; woman under 42, no healthy child from marriage | Medical freezing offered; elective position not stated | Not addressed; embryos may be transferred only to the wife | Maternity 98 days paid; paternity 7 days paid |
| Qatar | Public IVF at HMC by referral; expatriate basic plans often exclude it | Married couples, own eggs and sperm, under Sharia practice | No published rules; likely usable only within marriage | Not offered; no specific law | Maternity 50 days full pay; no statutory paternity leave |
| Saudi Arabia | Basic insurance excludes IVF; limited government hospital capacity | Married couples only, own eggs and sperm | Permitted for cancer patients; elective position unclear | Prohibited | Maternity 12 weeks full pay; paternity 3 days |
| South Africa | Not a minimum benefit; some schemes pay, e.g. Discovery 75% | No marital status condition; scheme cycle limits by age | Legal; usually self-funded | Legal with High Court confirmation and genetic link | Two employed parents share 4 months and 10 days |
| Turkey | SGK funds up to 3 attempts, with 30%, 25%, 20% co-payments | Married couples, no child together; woman under 40 at transfer | Medical grounds only; not funded by SGK | Not permitted | Maternity 24 weeks; paternity 10 days |
| UAE (federal) | Emirate schemes for Emiratis; most expatriates pay privately | Married couples; unmarried non-Muslim couples may apply | Allowed under federal rules; eligibility varies by emirate | No specific federal regulation | Maternity 60 days; parental leave 5 working days |
What employers need to know in each country
Each card sums up the country guide: the point that matters most for a fertility benefit, the typical private cost and anything that may change soon. The guide has the full detail and sources.
Abu Dhabi
Emirati staff on Thiqa have generous IVF and egg freezing cover, but most expatriate plans pay for IVF only if they include an infertility benefit. A fixed allowance near the cost of one private cycle fills that gap for expatriate staff.
- Typical private cost. About AED 38,000 per cycle (UAE average, 2023)
Bahrain
Expatriates moved to mandatory insurance on 31 October 2026 under Decision No. 66 of 2026, and published benefit summaries do not mention IVF. A fixed allowance, limited to married couples under Law No. 26 of 2017, gives expatriate staff predictable support.
- Typical private cost. BD 1,900 to 2,090 per cycle (2026 estimate)
- Worth watching. Bill to raise paternity leave to 3 days pending
Dubai
The DHA exclusion list leaves IVF out of basic plans, so most expatriate staff pay for treatment themselves. A fixed annual allowance covers what insurance excludes, and DIFC employers should check their separate leave and anti-discrimination rules.
- Typical private cost. AED 14,000 IVF package (DHA price list, 2022)
Egypt
Most employees pay for IVF themselves, and many private hospitals quote in US dollars while the pound floats. A fixed allowance in EGP keeps the budget predictable, and health data needs a licence and explicit written consent.
- Typical private cost. US$1,500 to 3,500 per cycle (medical tourism estimate)
- Worth watching. Draft fertility law with Justice Ministry since 2024
Ghana
Neither the NHIS nor most private plans pay for IVF, so patients rely on savings, loans and family. With medical costs forecast to rise 21.6% in 2026, a fixed cedi allowance keeps the budget predictable.
- Typical private cost. GH₵60,000 to 70,000 per standard cycle (2026)
- Worth watching. ART bill and new Labour Bill not yet passed
Israel
The state already funds IVF for a first and second child, and employees can use sick leave for treatment with dismissal protection. A fixed allowance is best aimed at a third child, egg freezing and private co-payments.
- Typical private cost. ₪15,000 to 30,000 per private cycle
Jordan
Most employees pay a private clinic for each cycle, and many group plans exclude infertility care. Because the dinar is pegged to the dollar, a JOD allowance stays predictable even when clinics quote in US dollars.
- Typical private cost. US$2,500 to 3,500 (about JOD 1,770 to 2,480) per cycle (2026)
- Worth watching. 90 day maternity leave start date unconfirmed
Kenya
Outside the teachers’ Mwalimu cover, SHA does not fund IVF and most private insurers exclude infertility. A fixed annual allowance keeps costs predictable while the ART Bill, which would require insurers to cover ART, completes its passage.
- Typical private cost. About KSh 600,000 per cycle (2026)
- Worth watching. ART Bill awaiting Senate third reading and assent
Kuwait
Private sector expatriates rely on Dhaman or private care, and no coverage description we found mentions fertility treatment. A fixed annual allowance caps the employer’s cost, with eligibility agreed with local counsel because treatment is limited to married couples.
- Typical private cost. About KWD 1,800 to 2,000 per cycle (2026 agency guide)
Lebanon
Neither the NSSF nor any group plan wording we found pays for IVF, and clinics mostly quote in US dollars. A fixed annual allowance in US dollars keeps the budget predictable, and health data processing needs a ministry licence.
- Typical private cost. About US$2,500 to 3,000 per full cycle (2022 and 2023)
- Worth watching. Paternity leave bills still with Parliament
Mauritius
With no assisted reproduction statute and no public IVF, employees pay private clinics in full for each cycle. A fixed annual allowance keeps the budget predictable, and the employer’s eligibility rules must respect bans on marital status and pregnancy discrimination.
- Typical private cost. About MUR 250,000 per IVF package (2020)
Morocco
AMO pays only part of the medicine cost, and there are just 3 public units, so most employees pay for each cycle. A fixed allowance in MAD helps with repeat cycles, limited to married couples under Law 47-14.
- Typical private cost. MAD 25,000 to 45,000 per private cycle
- Worth watching. Bill for longer maternity and paternity leave (2026)
Nigeria
Mandatory employer health insurance does not include IVF, so patients pay themselves. With medical costs forecast to rise 43% in 2026, a fixed allowance in naira keeps the budget predictable.
- Typical private cost. ₦2.9 million per cycle before drugs, Lagos clinic (October 2026)
- Worth watching. ART bill in development with National Assembly
Oman
Free public IVF has strict criteria, reports do not confirm expatriate eligibility, and basic Dhamani cover does not list fertility treatment. A fixed allowance supports staff outside those criteria and keeps the employer’s cost predictable.
- Typical private cost. OMR 1,300 to 1,900 per cycle, one Muscat clinic (2026)
- Worth watching. Dhamani enforcement not yet confirmed
Qatar
Employers must fund basic insurance for expatriates, but fertility treatment is a common exclusion, so many staff pay for IVF themselves. With a 10.0% medical cost trend projected for 2026, a fixed allowance sets the employer’s maximum cost in advance.
- Typical private cost. About QAR 18,000 per full procedure (2016)
- Worth watching. Expatriate insurance scheme not yet fully enforced
Saudi Arabia
The mandatory basic policy excludes IVF, so employees treated privately pay the clinic themselves. A fixed allowance for married couples keeps costs predictable, and any marital status rule should be checked against the 2025 Labour Law ban on that discrimination.
- Typical private cost. About SAR 15,000 per ICSI cycle (2022)
South Africa
Medical schemes must fund infertility tests but not IVF, so most employees pay privately unless their plan adds a benefit. A fixed annual allowance fills that gap, and the Van Wyk ruling means parental leave policies must cover commissioning parents.
- Typical private cost. About R50,000 to R75,000 per cycle (2024 and 2025)
- Worth watching. NHI ruling and leave law amendments pending
Turkey
SGK funds IVF for eligible married couples, but not for women aged 40 or over, couples with a child together, or egg freezing. A fixed annual allowance covers these gaps, co-payments and private centre surcharges.
- Typical private cost. ₺150,000 to 180,000 per private attempt (February 2025)
- Worth watching. Draft plan to raise SGK age limit to 42
UAE (federal)
Public IVF funding mainly reaches Emiratis through emirate schemes, so most expatriate staff pay privately. A fixed annual allowance gives them predictable support, with egg freezing eligibility confirmed per emirate.
- Typical private cost. About AED 38,000 average cycle (2023)
- Worth watching. National fertility strategy in development
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