Public IVF clinics will be opened in Victoria under a re-elected Andrews government after a report exposed concerns about the corporatisation of the fertility industry and a number of concerning accounts of misconduct.
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In one case, a patient was reportedly transferred an embryo that a doctor knew had not survived. Yet the client was told she had a “viable embryo and a good chance of success”.
In another incident recounted by the same whistleblower, faulty incubators resulted in the loss of a number of embryos, but the patients were lied to, and told their embryos succumbed naturally.
Health lawyer Michael Gorton, who is leading the review into assisted reproductive treatment, said while Victoria still remained a world leader in IVF, the growing dominance of commercial clinics had led to complaints about affordability and the accuracy of information given to clients.
Only about one in every three IVF patients would have a child as a result of treatment, meaning couples often paid many tens of thousands of dollars only to be left devastated at the end of the process, Mr Gorton said.
He said while there was a Medicare rebate available for many patients, out-of-pocket expenses often reached $5000 to $7000 for each cycle.
“IVF is expensive. In the main it is beyond the reach of ordinary hardworking Victorians,” he said.
“For people who have serious infertility issues, they can spend up to $100,000.”
On Tuesday, Premier Daniel Andrews announced that a future Labor government would spend $32 million over four years introducing a number of “low-fee bulk-billing” clinics in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
“No one should be priced out of the joy of a family,” he said.
One IVF specialist who submitted to the review suggested the state should fund the out-of-pocket expenses of patients for their first cycle if they were aged 37 or younger, have a BMI less than 30 and do not smoke or drink.
Health Minister Jill Hennessy said a business case was being developed that would guide these decisions around eligibility, including any means testing.
She said while the government wanted to make the service as generous as possible – “ultimately there will need to be some decisions made about where the subsidy starts and ends”.
Primary IVF is currently Victoria’s cheapest clinic, offering an initial stimulated cycle of IVF at no more than $900 for select patients, according to the interim report. But it sees only a fraction of the state’s IVF patients.
It is understood that Monash University and the Royal Women’s Hospital are already investigating offering public IVF services.
Victoria’s review into assisted reproductive treatment is ongoing, with a final report and further action expected in April next year.
Mr Gorton said he wanted doctors to give patients a better estimate of their individual chances of having a baby through IVF.
Success rates change dramatically with age, for example, with research finding that those who commence IVF before 30 have a 43.7 per cent chance of success with the first cycle. For those aged between 40 to 44 years the live birth rate after the first cycle is closer to 11 per cent.
Shadow health spokeswoman Mary Wooldridge said the Coalition would be considering the recommendations of the 160-page interim report in detail.
