20.02.13
Baby boom
The extended fertility guidance published by NICE raises some difficult issues. The ethics of offering certain couples free treatment to have children and restricting it from others has always been muddy.
And even though many fertility groups have welcomed the news, they warn that implementing the guidance is still necessary in the face of a ‘postcode lottery’ of treatment.
The cost of fully implementing the guidance could cost as much as £65.2m. It seems there is a mismatch between the funding NICE believes is available for expanding treatment criteria and that which the PCTs see.
It is an expensive move, in a time where efficiency is the number one challenge. But if NICE considers it feasible, then trusts must work to meet this new demand.
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