Increase in Children Born Through Infertility Treatments
The Hungarian government has recently reinforced the state’s role in infertility treatment, aiming to enhance care efficiency for both men and women. The Secretary of State for Health at the Ministry of the Interior declared this decision during the opening of the Kútvölgyi Institute within the modernized DUNAMENTI REK Reproduction Center in Budapest.
The refurbished institute, situated in North Buda’s St. John’s Hospital, received funding of HUF 1.5 billion (EUR 3.7 million) from domestic sources. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one out of every six couples faces infertility issues, and the improvements are designed to enhance care efficiency for individuals of all genders.
State Secretary Péter Takács highlighted the government’s increasing involvement in infertility treatment since 2016. In Hungary, infertility treatments have been made free of charge, and private providers have been nationalized to ensure that only public centers offer IVF procedures. Thanks to these measures, transparent data has resulted in a 2.5-fold surge in the number of treatments. The number of children born through assisted reproduction has also doubled, from 1,400-1,450 annually in 2016 to 3,000 in recent years.
Furthermore, new professional initiatives, legislative changes, and funding alterations have positively impacted access to cutting-edge infertility procedures for Hungarian couples. Zita Szondi, the deputy director-general for health services at the National Directorate General for Hospitals, emphasized the government’s commitment to assisting individuals with fertility issues to have children. Additionally, publicly funded fertility preservation for cancer patients has been facilitated, and training programs have been initiated to enhance the qualifications in this field.
Specialized infertility outpatient clinics will be crucial in addition to IVF centers, enabling basic examinations to occur. While 61% of infertility care is provided in Budapest, the infrastructural revitalization of the Kútvölgyi Institute signifies its importance. Future investments and upgrades, totaling almost 2.5 billion forints, are planned for medical equipment enhancements in centers nationwide.
