ART review paves way for equitable IVF access, says the Women’s

4 July 2019 |

The Royal Women’s Hospital welcomes the latest moves by the Victorian Government to end discriminatory regulations restricting some people from accessing assisted reproductive treatment (ART) in Victoria. 

In response to these announced changes, and the final ART report released yesterday [July 3], Chief Executive of the Women’s Dr Sue Matthews said she looks forward to seeing policy changes that improve access, affordability and quality of care for every person seeking these services.    

“We welcome the report’s recognition that current ART regulation is not fit-for-purpose and are pleased to be playing our role in creating equitable access to IVF,” Dr Matthews said. 

“Accessible ART services are few and far-between in Australia and while we value our long-term partnership with Melbourne IVF, which allows us to provide a low-cost IVF service, we very much welcome the proposal to improve access and equity in this area.

“An important factor will be getting the structures and mechanisms right, including setting up appropriate governance and funding arrangements.”

The ART review highlights the specialised services available at the Women’s, such as its fertility preservation services for adolescents and adults, including transgender and gender diverse people, its Reproductive Loss Service, and its gynaecology and cancer services. 

Dr Matthews added: “We welcome the report’s recognition of the highly specialised services we offer at the Women’s that are valued on a local and national scale. These services put us in a great position to further our work in accessible fertility and ART services.”