Publicly funded AHR: Criteria unlikely to be reviewed by current Government

Eligibility criteria for publicly funded fertility treatments are unlikely to be revisited in the lifetime of the current Coalition, The Irish Times has learned.

The Government on Tuesday announced a long-promised €10 million scheme that will see publicly-funded treatments from this September. The full year cost is expected to be €30 million.

The proposals received a guarded welcome from interest groups, and there was some criticism of the limitations of the scheme.

Government sources said eligibility would not be examined for at least a year after the scheme is introduced, with the possibility of an election before then, or within the following six months, diminishing the chances of revisiting eligibility in the lifetime of the Coalition.

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As it stands, people with a body mass index (BMI) outside a range of 18.5-30, those who have already had more than one round of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), and women over the age of 40 will not be eligible for the scheme. Men must be under 60.

There are also restrictions making couples with children ineligible – unless only one partner from a couple has a child from a previous relationship.

A gap in legislation, due to a failure to pass a Bill on assisted human reproduction, also means that until those laws come into force, single women and same sex couples, as well as heterosexual couples intending to use donated sperm or eggs, cannot avail of publicly-funded therapies.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the legislation would be passed by the end of the year, and estimated that some 3,000 couples would be covered by State-funded IVF annually.

The National Infertility Support and Information Group said the announcement “while not perfect, is a very welcome first step towards a fertility treatment system in Ireland that is not based on financial means, but on medical need and clinical advice”.

Campaigners are now expected to focus on monitoring uptake of the services, as well as the time it will take to progress through the Government’s three-stage application process, which involves visiting a GP, being referred to a fertility hub, and then treatment where deemed necessary.

“We understand that there will be disappointment among people today who will not stand to benefit from the announcement, but let us reassure you that after 26 years of campaigning for proper access to fertility treatment for all, we do not intend to stop now,” the group said.

“We will continue to campaign and advocate to see the criteria and eligibility for access to publicly-funded IVF treatment become as wide and inclusive as possible, to allow for a more equal and just health system in Ireland.”

Cystic Fibrosis Ireland said the State is the last in Europe to provide comprehensive infertility treatment supports.

“Infertility is one of the many challenges faced by people with CF (Cystic Fibrosis) and Cystic Fibrosis Ireland has been calling for public support for fertility treatment for a number of years – most of these concerns are likely to be shared by other [non-CF] couples experiencing infertility,” it said.

“One round of IVF treatment costs €6,000, so potentially only 1,000 couples needing IVF will benefit from this €10 million scheme. An adequate budget needs to be provided early next year.”

It also criticised reports that only childless couples would benefit, saying this rule “is potentially discriminatory for many couples, but in particular for those who have CF”.

[ Q&A: How will publicly-funded AHR work how can people avail of it? ]

[ Publicly-funded AHR: Hands of bean counters all over crude cut-off criteria ]

Labour Senator Marie Sherlock said there had been a commitment for a publicly-funded IVF programme for more than seven years, but the Government “has not got its act together to ensure that that can be provided through our public hospitals”.

Obstetric consultant Dr John Waterstone gave a cautious welcome to the plans. This was “really good news” and “fantastic to see money on the table”, he told RTÉ’s Today show, but while the proposal was a good start, it was “not enough”.

Dr Waterstone also queried the reported cut-off criteria related to BMI but said the age cut off was pragmatic as it was logical to draw a line. The cut off age in the UK was 40.

“You could argue that it’s not fair, but it makes sense where funding is limited,” Dr Waterstone said.