For Immediate Release
July 7, 2023
NDP MHA Lela Evans (Torngat Mountains) is calling on government to live up its commitment to provide adequate access to IVF services.
During the 2021 election, the Liberal government promised that there would be a clinic opened in this province so families would not have to travel to other parts of the country to access IVF services. Two years have passed but this government still hasn’t acted on their promise, leaving people burdened with huge travel expenses they should not have to incur.
“One cycle of IVF can cost up to $30,000. Right now, Government offers a $5000 subsidy to towards the cost of the procedure, capping at three cycles per person. This covers only a fraction of peoples’ true costs,” said Evans. “When you factor in the additional cost of travel and accommodations, this medical procedure becomes inaccessible to many whose only option for conception is IVF. That is why I am calling for a travel subsidy until residents can access IVF services in our own province. That is the only fair thing to do.”
According to the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS), one of out six couples in Canada will require IVF services to have a child. Minister Tom Osborne claims that they must assess if the demand for IVF is high enough to open a clinic in the province, but Evans says it is taking too long and questions why government is dragging its feet at the expense of people wanting to have children.
“Over 100 people in this province have received the subsidy for IVF services at least once. If this procedure was closer to home or more accessible and affordable, we would see a lot more families in this province being able to have children,” said Evans. “With an aging population and the expense of airline travel at an all time high, government needs to adjust this subsidy to include the cost of travel until they are true to their promise and open a clinic in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
“The government must release the plan to open a public fertility clinic in this province. Otherwise, they are prolonging a long, stressful process and burdening people with thousands of dollars in costs for accessing health care needed to have a family.”
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media Relations Manager, NDP Caucus at 709.330.0328 (c) or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca