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All infertile couples must get free IVF, says doctor
Sophie Goodchild, Health and Social Affairs Correspondent20 Nov 2009
A London fertility doctor is calling for free IVF for all patients to end the postcode lottery on treatment.
Sam Abdalla, medical director of the Lister Fertility Clinic, said it was "scandalous" that infertile couples are being denied state-funded help.
Tomorrow, the Chelsea hospital which is the UK's largest fertility centre, will become the first private clinic to provide women with free IVF.
Couples under the age of 45 can apply for at least one out of 21 treatment cycles. They will also be entitled to the free transfer of surplus embryos frozen during treatment.
The scheme will be run with the help of charity Infertility network UK and the clinic plans to increase the programme by one free cycle every year.
Under current guidelines, women are entitled to up to three free cycles of IVF on the NHS. But some health trusts are failing to implement these recommendations issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. In some cases, couples are only being offered one cycle. The eligibility criteria also vary widely between hospitals and some have an upper age limit.
Mr Abdalla, a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, said patients should only resort to private treatment through choice, not necessity. He said: "Infertility is not only a disease, it is a social disorder with a profound effect on the individual, the family and society. It is scandalous that more than 30 years after IVF was introduced, infertile couples are denied state-funded treatment.
"We believe the full implementation of the nice guidelines is long overdue. Long waiting lists on the nHS compound a complicated problem. The longer patients wait, the lower their chances of having a baby."
The Lister has helped mothers have more than 10,000 babies and cater for 2,500 IVF cycles a year. It is now doubling its capacity.
Chief executive of charity INUK, Clare Lewis-Jones, said: "difficulties in conceiving are a growing problem for our society and many people fail to understand the terrible effect that infertility can have on would-be parents and their overall health. Many argue that we don't have the right to have children but infertility is an illness and people have the right to try."
