Free IVF treatment to be extended

17 November 2009 07:23pm

Women in Wales will be entitled to two cycles of IVF treatment on the NHS next year, Health Minister Edwina Hart has announced.

Couples will be able to access two free rounds of the treatment from April.

Only one cycle has been available since an attempt by the Assembly Government to end a postcode lottery in fertility treatment in 2005.

The Conservatives hailed the decision as a victory after they urged the minister to change the existing policy.

Mrs Hart said: "I recognise that this is an extremely emotive issue and I have been keen to increase the number of IVF treatment cycles available to women on the NHS within available resources.

"In Wales, our aim has been to have a fair, consistent policy for accessing this treatment.

"I have had lots of representations on this issue and I am pleased that I am in a position to go some way towards increasing the opportunities for women to try to have children within the available resources."

Shadow health minister Andrew RT Davies said the announcement would bring hope to hundreds of people, although it fell short of guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence which suggest offering three cycles.

He said: "This is a great success for the Welsh Conservative Party.

"We held a debate in the Assembly in July calling on the Health Minister to reconsider the current policy regarding IVF treatment in Wales. We have, as a party, worked closely with groups and individual constituents over recent months to maintain pressure on the Assembly Government."

© The Press Association