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OVER 1,000 COUPLES have been referred for free fertility treatments, such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), since the government launched the country’s first ever publicly funded scheme last September.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the state-funded scheme passed two important milestones this week with over 1,000 couples being referred to clinics for free IVF, intrauterine insemination (IUI) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
Noting another important marker, the minister said the first baby conceived through the programme has also been born.
“We’ve just had our first live birth from IVF. It’s fantastic, new life,” Donnelly said.
Speaking to The Journal, the health minister said he wants to expand the criteria to allow more people to avail of free IVF supports which could include the widening of the age brackets, a wider definition of the length of a relationship or increasing the number of cycles couples can avail of for free.
Since last September, one publicly funded IVF cycle has been available to couples that meet certain criteria, which includes limits on maximum age, body mass index (BMI), and the number of existing children a couple have.
While the announcement of the scheme was welcomed last year, there were criticisms about the narrow scope of the criteria, which resulted in cohort of people, such as single people and those using donor material unable to avail of the free supports.
Donnelly told The Journal that the current criteria is “conservative” and he plans to widen it so as to include more people.
At the launch last year, the minister predicted that around 3,000 couples would avail of the scheme, though he acknowledged that as it was the first free fertility treatment programme in the country, the demand was difficult to predict.
“We’re at a run rate now of about 1,500 [couples] annually,” said Donnelly, stating that he believes the numbers will rise as more people become aware of the government funded scheme.
“Will it go up to 3,000? Let’s wait and see,” he said, stating that his department has now been asked to carry out a review of the scheme over the last 12 months.
“I want to widen the criteria. The clinical advice that I got at the start, the team themselves said ‘this is conservative’.
We had a table of all the different eligibility criteria and where different countries are, and ours was conservative. Too conservative for my liking.
“But the clinical point made back to me was that we had never done this before, let’s start and get it right,” said the minister.
Donnelly said there is now room to expand the programme and the review due to be carried out “quickly” in September will determine where criteria changes would be most warranted.
He said he has asked the department to outline in the review how the criteria might be expanded and if the department can fund it, either from within the allocated budget and outside of it.
One area the government will expand the scheme to, regardless, is those using donor assisted material.
Currently a single person, same-sex couples, or hetrosexual couples who require donor eggs or sperm are not be eligible for the scheme.
With the passing of the Assisted Human Reproduction legislation through both Houses of the Oireachtas in June, action can now be taken by government to address this issue.
The minister acknowledged that when the state-funded IVF scheme was launched last year some people were “very understandably disappointed” as no donor assisted IVF was state-funded.
“I wanted to move on it straight away. I got a very clear clinical view back from the HSE that it’s not a regulated area,” he said.
However, the minister said with the passing of the AHR bill, and the setting up of a new authority that will oversee the regulations, an amending piece of legislation is to be introduced to expand the criteria for donor assisted IVF by the end of the year.
“I want to go further,” the minister stated, adding that his department will now gather feedback from the six regional fertility centres which have been in operation over the last year.
“I think we will listen very carefully to the frontline clinicians,” he added.
One area which was criticised last year was the age restrictions put in place.
Under the Irish scheme, the woman should be a maximum age of 40 years plus 364 days at the time of referral to the regional fertility hub.
For the man, the maximum age is 59 years plus 364 days at the time of referral.
By comparison, there are no legal age limits in place in Finland, Germany, and Norway, while other countries have higher age restrictions in place when it comes to accessing fertility treatment.
When asked if there could be changes to the age requirement, Donnelly said:
“I want eligibility to increase. I don’t want to prejudge. We have to be led by the science on this, and we have to be led by the doctors. So I want to let them do their work and come back, and if they recommend on age or number of living children, or length of relationship, or whatever it is, then we’ll look at that.”
“The other big one that people have asked for is a second round [of IVF]. We only fund one round of IVF, three rounds of IUI,” he said, stating that moving to a second round needs to be reviewed.
Donnelly said he needs to ascertain if rolling out another free round of IVF would jeopardise the ability to expand the eligibility criteria, for example.
“I think we need to look at all of that in the round,” he said.
The minister said it was a “radical move” to launch the scheme by striking a deal with the private clinics that were already operating the service, stating that he didn’t believe the government could ask people to wait while the state built its own capacity.
The first state-owned clinic in Cork will begin IUI in the first quarter of next year, before moving to IVF, he confirmed.
“The idea that we would have asked all of these couples to wait for five years so that we could do it publicly” would not have been acceptable to him, said Donnelly.
When asked about wait times for couples, the minister said the scheme has been running smoothly, but said there has been a “hiccup” at the Rotunda clinic with the waiting list, due to historical issues around the ownership and operation of the service from the hospital. It is understood that it relates to delays in the consultant referral to a private clinic, with some waiting months for the matter to be resolved.
“I’m not satisfied with it. It’s too long. I’ve raised it with the department, and we’ve discussed it the National Women and Infants programme and there is an identified capacity issue there that is being addressed. But the timelines are too long. I’m not satisfied with them. We can’t have people waiting. There were some concerns that people might age out [of the scheme]. They don’t age out. The age is from your GP referral,” he confirmed.
“For the woman, time matters, right? And if she is already 40 years of age, then she needs rapid access. There is an issue in the Rotunda. We know what the problem is and we’re sorting it out,” he said.
Speaking about reports that the government plans to roll out free access to HRT for all women, the minister said it is a “central” pillar for him.
“It’s something that all women may want access to… it’s core to women’s healthcare. We can’t have a situation where any woman in Ireland feels they can’t afford access to HRT… I think universal access to it is the way to go. I’d like us to fund universal access. The department are working through further detail on that,” he said.
He stated that while there isn’t a competition between HRT and IVF in terms of funding, he would like to be able to expand the eligibility criteria for IVF within the existing funding package as it would protect new development funding for other things, such as free HRT for everybody.
“I want the IVF criteria to be in line with Europe and we’re still conservative,” he concluded.
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She seems a charmer. Goes to Clare County Council, looking for their support, and when questioned threatens to sue people. How to win friends and influence people.
@Dave Slater: ….when libeled threatens to sue people.
fixed that for you there
@Dave Slater: I don’t hear jimmy criticizing the FF bagman to the media.
@We Love Katamari: shes being purposely ignored by the media, save for negative articles like this one.
hopefully she gets the support of 20 TDs as a public interest candidate, social media is on fire with people willing to vote for her.
@Dermo Adams: she’ll struggle to get them, I emailed my Independent TD to ask him to support her nomination, he took the well worn path of the Irish politician, Silence.
He fears he’ll lose a vote if he was truthful and a man.
Those at the Trough don’t want anybody rocking it.
@Sean Conway: so unless he does, his comments somehow don’t matter?
@Dermo Adams:
How can you say she’s being ignored by the media?
You are literally commenting publically on her on one of Ireland’s largest media platforms.
There have been dozens of articles and reports on her over the last three weeks here on Journal, Irish Examiner, Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Business Post, and all radio and TV shows.
That she cannot get a single Council to back her speaks volumes.
I guess people just plain don’t like her views.
@Brinster:
A bit like the people who spoke out against the Church in the bad old days?
A lot of people didn’t like hearing the truth then either
@Bernie Roche: so you think Jimmy Guerin shouldn’t be allowed to ask that rumour and hearsay about his sister’s death be thrown about with no evidence (or seemingly no plan to ever show evidence) because of another, unrelated situation?
Doesn’t seem fair to Jimmy if you ask me.
@Only here for the comments: I never said anything about Jimmy Guerin.
I was replying to brinster who said
‘That she cannot get a single Council to back her speaks volumes.
I guess people just plain don’t like her views.’
That sort of attitude is why corruption is rife in this country
@Bernie Roche:
People don’t like her views, Bernie, because she is a conspiracy theorist anti vaxxer who exploits misery, fear and ignorance all for the purposes of self promotion.
Then threatens to sue anyone who dares to question her on her own un-evidenced pronouncements.
She appeared in front of Clare CoCo to ask for their votes – as soon as they questioned her she threatened to sue them.
So I don’t think it is anything to do with corruption.
It is to do with her being the Worst Candidate I Have Seen in My Lifetime.
@Brinster: You forgot toxic. The people who don’t like her views are people who don’t like having the mainstream narrative questioned.
By the way conspiracies happen all the time, the banking and insurance cartels are 2 glaring examples.
Another one coming down the line is going to be gardai in cahoots with drug dealers.
You will have a great time with that one.
I do agree she is a poor candidate for the presidency
@Brinster: Speaking of evidence, you can produce yours of where she says she’s antivax? No? Didn’t think so, cause she’s not and you’ve just swallowed the narrative that MSM wants you to.
@Bernie Roche: you claim what she said is true, how could you possibly know that? She has provided no actual evidence.
Same tack used to silence Garreth O’Callaghan on the Philip Cairns issue.
@Chemical Brothers: Give it a rest with the conspiracy theories
@Chemical Brothers: completely different case, circumstance, evidence, arrests, convictions, but hey, it’s all a connected conspiracy man ….
@Tweety McTweeter: Like her callanan penalty points conspiracy theory? like her missing 12 foot bood stained fence theory? like her mary boyle theory.?
gemma has form getting things right
@Chemical Brothers: Philip cairns family wanted him to stop with his behaviour
@We Love Katamari: and so is incapable of being wrong?
@We Love Katamari: even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
@James Kiernan: she has a shniff for a story and she bases it off evidence. She doesn’t tend to flippantly remark on any rumour for no good reason. She built her career on building relationships with informants and people who know what’s happening on the ground whatever ground that may be. It might be unpleasant for her brother as he doesn’t want to reopen old wounds as do many victims families of falsely accused murderers.
Gemma was warned by another Guerin family member about possible involvement by the state in Veronicas murder. Gemma reported on it a good few years back. I don’t see what the problem is here.
@Bobby Moore: Let her name all these people so.
@Brinster: ‘a toxic conspiracy theorist anti vaxxer’
They paying you per insult now?
@The Risen: but anti vaxxer and conspiracy theorist are positions she demonstrates. Toxic would be a cheap enough one….if you were paying, like.
@Brinster: She reported on it. It’s what journalists do. She didn’t do it as a publicity stunt as you state. But then again that’s all you FG shills do is try and muddy the waters and try smear any sort of opposition.
She has stated quiet clearly that she is not an anti vaxer either. But you still spread that lie about her. Won’t you.
@Brinster:
Nothing but an overreaction from Jimmy Guerin that’s been manipulated and fuelled on by desperate state corruption apologists folks like you flapping all around threads like this.
You should be ashamed of yourself but you’re obviously not.
@Bobby Moore: it’s not reporting if there’s no evidence.
@Tweed Cap: Your being misled by a tinfoilt hat, sensenaist fake
I don’t see what Mr Guerin is getting so upset about. Nothing O’Doherty has claimed is an insult to Veroica or her memory. To say it is an insult is just obviously politically motivated hyperbole. I’ve no great opinion about Gemma O’D one way or another, by the way
@Paul Devlin: it gets too close to the newspaper group who pushed an employee hard, then harder, until
@Paul Devlin: She’s claiming that the person convicted of the murder was not responsible.
That robs the family of justice. Of closure.
Maybe you could come back to us when a conspiracy theorist starts making up lies about a murdered member of your family before proclaiming that Jimmy Guerin isn’t entitled to feel sickened by this.
@Brinster:
State fanboy
@Mick Barnier: adding Insult to injury there. suggesting that Veronica guerin wasn’t doing things of her own accord but instead was being pushed in some way? Typical of O’Doherty cheerleaders, there’s always someone behind the curtain isn’t there?
@sixmile:
Darn right I’m a State fanboy.
I love my country.
I’m actally proud to be Irish.
Unlike a lot of the “patriots” on here.
@Brinster: The state is not the country
@Bernie Roche:
fg thinks the state is everything, hence the fg fanboys reply.
@Brinster: You’re working very hard tonight on behalf of FG.
@Brinster: you are a complete contradiction. Veronica’s brother claims it was John Gilligan that had her murdered, however gilligan was never found guilty of her murder, so therefore the family is robbed of closure already. Just goes to show what a clown you are. You FG shill
@Dave Doyle: Gema o@Dorhethy is a f\
ake
Your working hard for the gangsters that killed Veronica Guerin
@@at: Ah yes the Shinners worked well with the Dealers
Let her run and let the people decide her fate.
@Paddy Downey: grand. But if she spouts nonsense should we not point it out? Or should she get a free pass because she’s running for office? That isn’t how it works for anyone else.
@Paddy Downey:
Worst.
Candidate.
Ever.
@Paddy Downey: I agree. I’m not sure how I feel about her but I’d definitely like to see her given a platform to speak and be challenged through a campaign. It wouldn’t be a good look for the political establishment if she wasn’t given the opportunity.
Gemma needs to lay off the hooch, a) for this ridiculous theory and b) for genuinely thinking she has a hope of becoming president. The new Jim Corr
@Alonso:
@Alonso: at least you give a good description of the cross they are nailing her to.
The last candidate I would vote for.
The woman is an embarrassment to genuine journalists. She should forget about the presidency and concentrate on her works of fiction for the tin foil hat folk.
@Willie: Oh, please name all of these ‘genuine journalists’ for us please? The ones afraid to step out of line for fear of being blackballed by INM, or the ones who report whatever the government and Garda press office hand to them?
@The Risen: you know most of the time there really isn’t a conspiracy but one needs evidence to back up ludicrous claims
@The Risen:
Better still let’s see Gemma produce one single piece of evidence aside from rumour and speculation.
@The Risen: Honestly you’ve embarrassed yourself beyond belief backing this anti vaxxer conspiracy theorist.
@Brinster: you seem to be obsessed with gemma running, or is it just fg letting their little attack pup out of the broom cupboard
@Brinster: Whats embarrassing is seeing you completely lose your shit and carpetbomb every presidency article with your anti-gemma o doherty infantile rants.
Grow up
@Dermo Adams: Now now Dermo, if the FG shills want to addfuel to the accusations that there’s a concerted effort to scupper the womans candidacy, we should just let brinster and his ilk keep doing what they’re doing.
@Dermo Adams:
Hilarious!
I barely post anymore.
I make an exception for anti vaxxers as I think they are the lowest of the low.
Dangerous people who feed on ignorance and misery.
And yet the people who are paid to post here every day lose the plot when I make a rare appearance.
Absolutely hilarious!
Dermo my good man – i will continue to expose anti vaxxers for as long as I want to. Annoying you and the other shinner bots here is merely the icing on the cake.
@The Risen:
Shill?
More nonsense from the account that posts here 24/7.
One of us is paid to be here, frequently-banned-The-Risen, and it isn’t me.
@Brinster: you were banned as well, genius.
Pot meet kettle.
@Dermo Adams: ‘ you were banned as well, genius.’
hahahaha
what a clown you are brinster
@The Risen: please, oh wise and well informed one, share with us poor ignorant citizens what’s really going on in our country. Or is it really our country? I hear the Illuminati have taken over.
Never believed Gilligan was behind it and still don’t . Reckon him and his gang were just patsies for others .
@Seosamh Snr Nolan:
The shooters didn’t know who they were working for! The same people who killed martin cahill killed veronica guerin.
Listen to her ted talk. Flinging accusations against everyone with zero evidence to back it up. The conspiracy theorists love it.
A few weeks ago The Journal was full of O Doherty well wishers. People were going to vote for her in their droves. Not many people coming forward to support her. Classic Irish style drop the dead donkey.
@John Nolan: The Gemma “well wishers” usually crowd any article that mentions any of the other potential nominees. Strangely, they are mostly absent this evening when Gemma is front and center.
@John Nolan:
Maybe people are begining to realise that she’s a fruit and but bar.
@Michael Allen: You should focus on getting her a nomination first son.
the hatchet job continues. the other candidates being fawned over on the other atricles on this site. shameful
Gemma must have known she was to face being attacked by people like jimmy guerin. great timing jimmy.
@Sean Conway: She was the one who brought up the murder of Councillor Guerin’s sister just two weeks ago.
Unprompted.
Since then she had refused to clarify comments she made at a public meeting that are on tape.
Them she pulled out of an appearance in front of Fingal CC and Councillor Guerin at the last minute today.
No one to blame but herself
@Brinster:
you’re a bitter twisted fg/state fanboy.
@sixmile: playing the man as usual? Why not refute the facts? Oh, forgot, you can’t.
@sixmile: playing the man? Easiest way when you can’t dispute the facts I suppose….
@sixmile:
Right on cue, there’s my stalker.
You’re developing a weird little obsession with me, sixmile.
Maybe you should take a break from the bitter abuse and go for a nice walk.
@Brinster:
lmao, “bitter abuse” says the king of bile ha ha ha
Jimmy Guerin must have taken a vaccine as a child
@Big Red: because he doesn’t believe in the daft idea of government collusion ?who would ?
Veronica Guerin uncovered a hornets nest of gangsters unbeknown to herself who like Cahill in his Mickey Mouse jocks, continued his criminal life with impunity .
The laugh of this notion is that CAB evolved from her death and if there was any iota of evidence of this nonsense claim it would have come out in the wash when millions of euro were being confiscated over the past 20 years . Heads rolled .Someone in the gang would have blabbed .
Guerin did not know what she was dealing with at the time and the thugs did not get into bed with anyone or were guided by anyone only by their greed
Did she explicitly say there was state involvement in the killing or are political and media opponents twisting what she said to throw a banana skin under her campaign
@Moss Cotter: She explicitly said it. There is a video.
Would take you about 6 seconds to find it on Google.
@Brinster: you seem to be a very bitter individual..you exhibit a hatred of Gemma o Doherty not based on political differences but something more twisted
@Moss Cotter:
Yes Moss – i’m bitter against anti-vaxxers and for good reason.
People die because of their dangerous nonsense.
Has she exposed this story if full,? is she afraid of getting bumped off , if she does? or is she just talking shite to get a load of press?
won’t be voting for that crackpot… Micky D all the way
@ruth mc cann: mickey d is a confused old man, he promised one term but he seems to have forgotten
@ruth mc cann: Labour Party, it’s rid of their ilk we need. Micky D got a taste for the champagne in the Aras and quickly forgot his one term pledge.
Typical Labour party member.
If only Gemma had a bigger spoon to stir the sh%t with, then she’d be, like, famous!
I would like it investigated if it was my sister,this journalist is hated by the establishment for exposing corruption etc in the country.recent revalations about gda in false murder fogures,false charges,false breath tests,false bank accounts.missing phones laptops belonging to 2 x commissioners.smoke is rising and the fire is burning.
Has she exposed this story if full,? is she afraid of getting bumped off , if she does? or is she just talking bs to get a load of press?
I’d say every one should call it a day now, what’s past is past.
She’s a very suitable candidate in the current political climate, she just needs to get rid of the conspiracy stuff.
@Adrian: Beyond the conspiracy stuff – what is there?
No record of public service.
Never stood for election for any other office.
No history of charitable or philanthropic work.
A toxic rumour monger keen to exploit other’s misery to raise her profile with the most ignorant Irish society has to offer.
@Brinster: That’s some slur on people, vile, full of bile, and totally unnecessary.
With such comments coming from you, who would normally be reasonable, but pointed, it makes me think that there is some real palpable fear from the political establishment in the country.
This woman exposes the naked corruption surrounding the top echelons of Irish society. Pushed to the fringes of journalism by DOB, she does valuable work in reminding people of who actually rules, not governs as best she can.
The other plastic paddies offering themselves have nothing but their own gain as the main goal. Gemma O Doherty offers a real alternative, an alternative to the yes men who won’t rock the boat on the wholesale corruption pervading Irish society.
She must be doing something right.
@Dave Doyle:
Dave – we often differ but on this topic I can’t be civil. I’ve replied elsewhere on this thread why you’re absolutely right – I 100% fear her.
I’m part of no establishment though – political or otherwise.
There is an awful lot of bile in my comments and I believe it is fully deserved.
Anti-vaxxers exploit fears and cost lives.
Damn right I fear them and I will absolutely continue to challenge them and point this out.
300 Irish women die from cervical cancer each year. We don’t have a cure – we have something better – a vaccine!
We can stop 70% of this type of cancer from ever happening.
She is threatening that without evidence.
That deserves every bit of my bile – I won’t apologise for that.
@Brinster: Sorry Brinster i don’t buy that at all. What she said was taken out of context. It doesn’t justify the total hysteria surrounding her attempt to get a nomination.
I’m not ignorant of the office of President, but i don’t know everything that surrounds it, what her powers are and aren’t.
But just wondering would her or anyone else being President give them access to documentation not available to ordinary people?? Would she have access to documents surrounding issues she has worked on, that would not be available to her under present circumstances??
She could cause serious trouble for a lot of people if that were the case.
I know my thinking is off on a tangent here. But the hysteria isn’t justified, it’s frantic in the extreme.
Here’s the anti vaxx link.
https://www.facebook.com/RevolutionIreland/posts/2054268731292112
The shooters didn’t know who they were working for! The same people who killed martin cahill killed veronica guerin
I’m not having a go at gamma (can’t afford the legal bills) but can somebody explain to me how she is going to tackle corruption from the aras? This is a serious question. I always believed the president was a ceremonial figure head whose main task was to sign bills as he was instructed and greet foreign diplomats and heads of state. Basically the Irish host.
I genuinely don’t understand how she can fight and expose corruption as president, would she not be more constructive in the dail or highlighting this from another platform.
Is she hoping that she will be exempt from the usual libel laws etc?
Can someone please explain this to me.
@Gasher: *Gemma
The Journal rehashing this story. Just like bores.ie the journal is on its way out.
Just because Jimmy Guerin had a brilliant sister, does not make him a shining star. His opinion is no better and probably worse that the average ‘Joe’, because he is emotionally invested and maybe doesn’t want his ‘acceptance’ of events disturbed. No one can blame him for that, but one can blame him for not keeping an open mind and by his actions, seeking to keep an excellent anti-corruption candidate out of the election. Gemma Doherty is a shining light, similar to Veronica, shining a light into the dark and shady corners that few others have the guts to do. There are also those who like to think there are no dark and shady corners because it suits their ideal. But in the real world there are people and government who are willing to go to great lengths, including murder, to achieve their own agendas. Gemma Doherty seeks to ‘out’ these people, surely that’s a good thing and something we should help, not hinder. I believe Jimmy Guerin’s speech was unwise and possibly politically motivated. To try and hinder a person that is genuinely trying to fight corruption even ‘if’ they make small mistakes along the way, is just plain wrong. Corruption comes in many shapes and areas’ and it is this corruption that is responsible for the homeless, health, education, tax, infrastructure, services etc…. crises. Corruption, and incompetence. How will it be changed if people don’t play their part and support people like Gemma when they come along. Don’t just complain about corruption and then do nothing about it when you get the chance. The presidents office has the power of PR and little else, that may be enough to shine a light.
The independent in the UK hardly thinks its a conspiracy https://www.independent.co.uk/news/police-may-have-tipped-off-guerin-hitman-1360117.html
The burden of proof lies with the person making the extraordinary claims. Time to put up or shut up if she is not just a vile attention seeker using a viscous murder to spread lies and appeal to half witted conspiracy junkies.
Jimmy is a langer
have your say