On Tuesday, Poland’s Presidential Council for Health Protection is set to commence work on a bill that would finance a range of infertility treatments. President Andrzej Duda announced the move when he signed the law providing state budget funding for in vitro fertilization in mid-December, signaling a broader discussion about how fertility care should be publicly funded.
In 2024, a presidential bill would extend public funding to several infertility treatment methods and the council plans to begin work on the project this week. The aim is to explore options that could help couples who face barriers to conception and to establish a framework for funding beyond the current in vitro approach.
Piotr Czauderna, who is leading the study, emphasized that Poland faces significant demographic challenges. He noted that while public opinion diverges, the President wants to consider other potentially effective, yet presently unreimbursed, medical treatments and procedures focused on diagnosing and treating infertility. The emphasis is on expanding the range of options that can be supported by public funds without removing the option of in vitro when it is appropriate.
The proposal envisions an alternative path for individuals who either prefer not to pursue in vitro fertilization or who want to exhaust other avenues before continuing with in vitro attempts at conceiving. Medical professionals in Poland have observed that the in vitro method is sometimes used early in the journey, and there is a belief that diagnostics and other treatments should be considered earlier in the process. A comparison is offered to Germany, where diagnostic workups are often required before publicly funded in vitro treatment begins to identify other solvable issues.
The head of the Health Protection Council stated that the proposed measures would not replace in vitro but rather complement it, creating a broader toolkit for infertility care. The goal is to assemble preliminary information on feasible treatment methods that could be financed from public funds under the presidential project, ensuring a more holistic approach to reproductive health.
Deputy head of the Council, Piotr Ćwik, explained on TV Trwam that during Tuesday’s meeting the council will identify potential infertility treatments that could be eligible for public funding in Poland. He indicated that the next step would be to draft a formal bill addressing the issue and laying out a clear funding pathway for diverse fertility treatments.
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Source: wPolityce