Under this Labour government being pregnant, having children and bearing the burden of family life has been dramatically affected by the emphasis on family friendly policies. High expenditure towards easing the cost of early years and the burdens of bringing up children with better resources and facilities can be counted as a tremendous success, particularly by Gordon Brown. Working towards ending child poverty in the UK has never been so clearly prioritised by a government.
As a parent I applaud these policies. Children are our future, and investing in them now will help in generations to come as long-term strategies overturn previous neglect. The list is long: Child Benefit increases; introduction of child tax credits; increased maternity leave and pay; paternity leave; parental leave; right to request to work flexibly; more childcare places; baby bonds savings schemes; Sure Start and children’s centres.
But what if I, like one in seven other people in the UK, had been infertile? Would I feel as a hard-working taxpayer (often one in the higher-earning fields of employment due to being childless) that the balance had shifted too far in favour of families? I don’t think I would because I would feel the long term overall prosperity of the country and strength of its society was dependent upon families being helped.
But might I also hope that I, as an infertile patient, could secure some of the economic success that this government has said it would invest in NHS health care by sharing the burden of my costly treatment. In February this year The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, set up by this government, published their guidelines on infertility. It recommended that up to three cycles of IVF should be offered to women – but only those aged between 23 and 39 with no time scale for implementation. On the same day Health Secretary John Reid stated that Primary Care Trusts should offer at least one cycle of IVF to all couples before April 2005. Also on that day the All Party Parliamentary Group on Infertility chaired by Kevin Barron, reported that ‘there is a funding gap of approximately £51.2 million for IVF/ICSI treatment in England at present…. set against savings from avoided tests and a move to two embryo replacement the actual funding requirement would be no more than £36.8 million.’ The cost emotionally (and financially) to the infertile of the government not implementing fully these recommendations continues to be great.
Many do not view infertility as an illness, certainly not one that should be funded from the public purse although the World Health Organisation has said: ‘Improved access depends on a number of factors, including increased recognition of infertility as a public health problem by policy makers.’ John Reid, responding to the NICE guidelines, stated that ‘they may lead the way for thousands more women to access infertility treatment.’
Many infertile patients are desperate and willing to pay out thousands of pounds and undertake any type of treatment to achieve a child. So should they share in receiving better access to NHS treatment? Clare Brown, executive director of Infertility Network UK says, ‘This Labour government had the potential to make things better. They referred infertility to NICE four years ago and still there is inequity of access to NHS treatment. They should give a clear timescale for this to happen and not a flimsy “in the long term”. Time is of huge importance in the treatment of infertility.’
Gordon Brown, now of course a proud father, announced the child poverty review in the 2003 Budget and its findings were published this July. It is clear high spending has been channeled towards families. For example’ the review outlined that: Child Benefit and other benefits have increased by £10.4 billion since 1997, a real terms rise of 72 percent. Additional investment in childcare places and services for disadvantaged children of £66.9 million by 2007-8 is planned, and children’s centres will be built through funding of an extra £100 million from the capital modernisation fund.
Of course money isn’t just the main focus. This government has made a substantial commitment towards bringing together health, education, skills and work policies across all childcare agencies, reversing Thatcher’s ideology that ‘there is no such thing as society’ to help families in our communities. But it was during those harsh Thatcher years that infertile patients fought constant battles for treatment as the ‘postcode lottery’ of funding across the UK intensified. 1997 meant new hope with New Labour and new commitments by Tony Blair.
In a message of support to infertility patients in June 2002 he stated: ‘The pain and distress that infertility causes so many couples is very real and the variation that has developed over the years in the level of NHS services available… shows unacceptably wide variations. The government is determined to change this.’
Will they? Can they afford not to?
For more information on Infertility Network UK go to www.infertilitynetworkuk.com