Romania to kick off free in vitro fertilisation program worth EUR 1 mln

Over 800 couples in Romania will benefit from in vitro fertilization for free, part of a Ministry of Health program that will start on June 1. “The program will run in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital “Panait Sarbu” in Bucharest and the Clinical Emergency Hospital in Cluj-Napoca. It will also run in private hospitals that choose to be part of it”, says Cseke Attila, Romania'sHealth Minister. This year's budget for the program is of almost EUR 1 million. Women who are admitted in the program must be between 24 and 40, at least one member of the couple must have Romanian citizenship and Romanian residence and they have to be married for at least two years, according to the criteria. In case the couple’s file is approved, the Health Ministry will make the payment procedure for the in vitro fertilization, that costs almost EUR 1,200. In case the procedure is successful and a baby was born, the center that took care of the fertilization will be awarded with EUR 300. In 2008, there were approximately 1,600 in vitro fertilizations in Romania, 600 more than 2007. The results of these fertilizations is unknown. The in vitro fertilization is a major treatment in infertility, administered when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed. Alexandru Camburu, alex.camburu@romania-insider.com