Fertility treatment cap removed as Abu Dhabi co-pay scheme is cancelled

Health authorities have not yet clarified whether the waiver of a co-pay scheme will affect a cap on IVF services that had been introduced at the same time.

ABU DHABI // A cap on fertility treatments set last year has been removed as has a 20 per cent co-pay scheme for treatment at private clinics.

The cap had been announced in June, limiting in-vitro fertilisation at private centres for Thiqa insurance holders in Abu Dhabi to one cycle, subject to the 20 per cent co-pay.

Insurance company Daman removed the ­co-pay for all services, including pharmacy and dental services, and the restrictions on IVF treatments.

A study had shown the IVF market in the UAE was set to grow by 11.8 per cent this year, compared with last year.

“The birth rate in the UAE has been declining and as more people seek help to conceive, there are rising infertility issues,” said Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, chairman and managing director of VPS Healthcare, which runs Burjeel Hospital.

“One in five couples in the UAE face fertility issues.”

Government hospitals were unable to cope with increased demand from patients who may otherwise have sought IVF in the private sector, leading to significant waiting times, said Majd Abu Zant, chief operating officer at United Eastern Medical Services.

Last year, an estimated 5,000 IVF cycles were performed in the emirate.

“Five thousand is a huge number to be able to cope with,” said Mr Abu Zant, who is also chief executive of HealthPlus Network of Specialty Services, which performs more than 2,500 IVF cycles per year.

“Of course, in IVF, the importance of time is critical. As the patient ages, we have seen an inverse relationship to clinical outcomes and success rates.

“So you are caught between a rock and a hard place, where you need the services as soon as possible but unfortunately the services are not available.”

IVF is also very expensive, with the cost of one cycle capable of reaching Dh60,000, depending on the circumstances of the case.

Some patients were willing to pay 20 per cent, but few were willing to pay the full cost of additional cycles. Long waiting times in the government sector meant patients then had lower success rates, he said.

A second cycle in the private sector was not covered by insurance and most patients need more than one, he said.