Polish senators back state funding for IVF

Polish senators have approved a plan to reintroduce state funding for in vitro fertilisation (IVF), aiming to bolster fertility rates in the country.

The upper house of Poland's parliament in session in Warsaw on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023.

Photo: PAP/Piotr Nowak

The measure passed in a 59-23 vote with three abstentions in the upper house of parliament on Friday, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.

Senat przyjął bez poprawek ustawę o finansowaniu in vitro z budżetu państwa https://t.co/YKInx6zBRs

— PolskieRadio24.pl (@PR24_pl) December 8, 2023

The legislation, which was earlier backed by the lower chamber of Poland's bicameral parliament, now goes to President Andrzej Duda for signing into law.

Zakończyło się 2⃣. posiedzenie #SenatRP XI kadencji. 🏛️
Senatorowie przyjęli dziś:
👉 nowelizację ustawy o świadczeniach opieki zdrowotnej finansowanych ze środków publicznych, wprowadzającą refundację #InVitro z budżetu państwa,
👉 nowelizację ustaw w celu wsparcia odbiorców… pic.twitter.com/e7hiuISQR6

— Senat RP 🇵🇱 (@PolskiSenat) December 8, 2023

Leftist parliamentarian Wanda Nowicka estimated last month that some 3 million people in Poland were affected by infertility.

She told parliament during the initial stages of the bill that IVF was an effective fertilisation method and predicted that "in 40 years, over 100,000 children will be born in Poland through IVF."

Lawmaker Agnieszka Pomaska of the liberal Civic Coalition (KO) has said that state funding for IVF will enable more Poles to have children.

Under the new regulations, the Polish government will spend at least PLN 500 million (EUR 115 million, USD 125 million) a year on combating infertility, including through IVF, officials have told reporters.

(gs)

Source: PAP