Tuesday 20 March 2012

Fertility funding in Northern Ireland

Members of the Assembly in Northern Ireland have passed a motion calling on the Health Minister to fund three cycles of IVF treatment. At present, anyone eligible for funded fertility treatment in Northern Ireland will only get one attempt at IVF paid for by the health service. In England NHS funding can vary, but in Scotland couples get three cycles and in Wales they get two. The guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommend that those who are eligible should be offered up to three full cycles of treatment.

It is great news that the Assembly is considering the issue, and that members are minded to call for more funding for fertility. The campaigning work carried out by Infertility Network UK in Ireland is sure to have helped bring this issue to the forefront.

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