Funding for fertility must be prioritised

IT’S not acceptable that people have to take out loans and spend thousands of euro for fertility treatment that should be available through our public health system.

That’s according to Senator Tim Lombard who said he wants to see the €10m announced in the Budget to start the rollout of IVF treatment through private clinics from September.

‘I want to see it for those who have not been through the process before to those who are experiencing secondary infertility. 

‘Secondary infertility is rarely spoken about but impacts a huge number of couples in this country. Many thousands of people are affected by fertility issues each year and until we start to provide treatment through the public health system, we cannot get an exact idea of the real numbers of people this affects,’ he said. 

He said the budget funding was ‘a very welcome start.’

‘However, I am keen to see this available to the widest number of people possible and for it to be expanded further next year. 

‘We know that Ireland is far behind our European colleagues when it comes to providing fertility treatment in the public health system. I will continue to advocate strongly on behalf of those seeking treatment to ensure that public funding is available to as many as possible in September and that we continue to make serious progress in this area into 2024.’