Minister Donnelly said he can’t “make any promises”.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said he is unsure if the State will be able to fund IVF treatments.
He said that it is “very expensive” so he can’t make any promises.
Minister Donnelly previously said his department would introduce IVF funding by 2023, but it appears he has taken back that promise.
During a recent trip to Tipperary, the Minister claimed that he will make the case for public funding, but he “can’t make any promises”.
“I will be making the case for public funding for IVF for the first time, we’ll see how that gets on.”
“It’s really expensive, it turns out,” he commented.
He said he is laying the foundations to implement State funding, but it is incredibly expensive.
Donnelly added, “I’ve taken a look at some of the figures, it’s incredibly expensive, but we’re an outlier.”
“Other countries in Europe do it and yet somehow Ireland doesn’t and that has to stop. So, I can’t make any promises but I’m laying the foundations to at least start.”
Donnelly stressed that parents should have a right to IVF treatment.
He said the service should not be exclusive to people who can afford to pay for IVF.
He added, “We have to say this is something that parents should have a right to because it can’t come down to whether or not you can raise five or six thousand euros; that’s not acceptable.”
