Wicklow Health Minister Hails New Fertility Hubs.

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly has today announced that the number of couples referred for publicly funded Assisted Human Reproduction (AHR) treatment has exceeded 1,000.

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly has today announced that the number of couples referred for publicly funded Assisted Human Reproduction (AHR) treatment has exceeded 1,000.

Around 125 couples each month are now being referred through the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) Regional Fertility Hubs, for publicly funded AHR treatment provided in approved private clinics.Thousands of other patients have had their fertility-related issues resolved through the six Regional Fertility Hubs, in line with the Model of Care for Fertility, in order to ensure that issues are addressed at the lowest level of clinical intervention necessary.

Minister Donnelly said:

“It’s less than 11 months since the introduction of publicly funded AHR treatment in Ireland and we have now reached a very important milestone with more than 1,000 referrals to private clinics.“For so many couples who face the very difficult emotional and physical challenges infertility issues present, publicly funded treatment has given them hope of becoming parents.“We are already aware of the first live births resulting from publicly funded AHR treatment, and I would like to warmly congratulate those parents.“I am committed to expanding AHR provision. As this service develops, we expect to see around 1,500 referrals over the course of a full year.“We’re also seeing thousands of other patients being successfully treated at our network of Regional Fertility Hubs, ensuring that that treatment is provided at the lowest level of intervention necessary.“The Government is also committed to providing a fully publicly provided fertility service, with the first public National AHR Centre scheduled to open in Cork next year.”