Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 January 2024
348. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health to provide a comprehensive update from the HSE in relation to fertility support for same sex couples and single women; if his Department will be providing support with the huge financial cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3453/24]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, a commitment to “introduce a publicly funded model of care for fertility treatment” is included in the Programme for Government.
The Model of Care for Fertility was developed by the Department of Health in conjunction with the HSE’s National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) in order to ensure that fertility-related issues are addressed through the public health system at the lowest level of clinical intervention necessary.
This Model of Care comprises three stages, starting in primary care (i.e., GPs) and extending into secondary care (i.e., Regional Fertility Hubs) and then, where necessary, tertiary care (i.e., IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) and ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection)), with patients being referred onwards through structured pathways.
Phase One of the roll-out of the Model of Care has involved the establishment, at secondary care level, of Regional Fertility Hubs within maternity networks, in order to facilitate the management of a significant proportion of patients presenting with fertility-related issues at this level of intervention without the need to undergo invasive IVF or ICSI treatment. Patients are referred by their GPs to their local Regional Fertility Hub, which provides a range of treatments and interventions. All six Regional Fertility Hubs are currently operational.
Phase Two of the roll-out of the Model of Care relates to the introduction of AHR treatment, including IVF, provided through the public health system at tertiary level. In particular, the first steps have been taken towards achieving the ultimate objective of Government, which is a wholly publicly-provided fertility service.
As an interim measure, funding was made available to support access to AHR treatment via private providers from September 2023. As well as IVF and ICSI, this allocation is also being used to provide, initially through private clinics, IUI (intrauterine insemination), which can, for certain cohorts of patients, be a potentially effective, yet less complex and less intrusive treatment.
Referrals for AHR treatment by private providers commenced on September 25th 2023 after details of how the new initiative would be initially rolled out – including regarding the set of criteria which prospective patients should meet in order to access fully-funded AHR services and the specific services to be initially funded – were agreed by the Department and NWIHP and then brought to Cabinet in July 2023. The criteria were agreed following consultation with experts in the field of reproductive medicine and include limits in respect of the age of the intending birth mother, body mass index (BMI) and the number of children a couple already have. They are very much in keeping with those applied in other jurisdictions, even though in most European countries, for instance, such treatments are only partially funded and require often significant out-of-pocket payments by patients. More details on public fertility services generally, including information on the new publicly-funded AHR treatment initiative, are available from the HSE at: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/fertility-problems-treatments/fertility-treatment/
Given the complex regulatory and clinical issues to be addressed in respect of certain categories of AHR treatment, including donor-assisted treatment, public funding of a number of services will of necessity be commenced on a structured and phased basis. While some regulation regarding the provision of AHR services involving donor gametes is currently provided for, there are a number of important clinically relevant issues which are being addressed in the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 currently before the Oireachtas. Committee Stage for this Bill commenced on January 24th 2024.
The access criteria and the scheme generally will be kept under review as new evidence becomes available, an understanding of how the service provision is working in practice emerges, and when the finalised agreed provisions of the enacted AHR legislation becomes apparent.
My Department and the Government are focused, through the full implementation of the Model of Care for Fertility, on ensuring that patients receive care at the appropriate level of clinical intervention and then those requiring, and eligible for, advanced AHR treatment such as IVF will be able to access same through the public health system. The underlying aim of the policy to provide a model of funding for AHR, within the broader new AHR regulatory framework, is to improve accessibility to AHR treatments, while at the same time embedding safe and appropriate clinical practice and ensuring the cost-effective use of public resources.
