The refund on IVF medicines has been extended for prospective parents who will undergo IVF in Malta as well as prospective parents who have undergone IUI, IVF or Embryo transfer in private clinics from 1 January 2023. This was announced by the Minister for Health and Active Aging Jo Etienne Abela.
The Medically Assisted Procreation sector, known as IVF, has been regulated by the Embryo Protection Authority since 2013. It was explained how from then until today a total of 601 babies were born and at present there are also 50 mothers who are waiting to give birth to another 55 babies.
Minister Abela explained how the government is aware of the sacrifices that prospective parents who undergo IVF go through, and therefore since 2015, it has started offering the services for free from the Mater Dei Hospital. These services continued to expand with the amendments in the Law that came into force in 2018 and 2022.
The Minister said that until the end of March 2024, the Embryo Protection Authority (EPA) approved over one million twenty thousand euros (€1,028,543.54), which were handed back to the prospective parents as a refund of the medicines they had spent.
Minister Abela announced how after a discussion with the main Regulator, the EPA, now this refund will also be extended to prospective parents who will do IVF inside licensed centers and not only in Mater Dei. Every prospective parent who has done IUI, IVF or Embryo transfer in private clinics since January 1, 2023, will also be entitled to this refund.
He explained how with this refund they will be benefiting a total of 285 prospective parents who have done 56 IUIs, 131 embryo transfers, as well as 98 IVF procedures since January 1, 2023, where the government will be he is returning a total of approximately two hundred and fifty thousand euros. These will be added to the 634 prospective parents who have already benefited from the reimbursement of medicines for the services offered at Mater Dei from 1 January 2022.
“This is testimony to the investment that the Government is making. Committed to continuing to improve IVF services and to be of help and support to Maltese and Gozitan families,” concluded Minister Abela.
Applications as well as the original receipts of the medicines must be submitted to the licensed centers and sent to the Embryo Protection Authority to process the refund.
Photos: DOI, MHA
