IPOH: The Perak government has introduced a special subsidy amounting to RM600,000 for 150 married couples to undergo in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment to help those who want to have children.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the subsidy through the Permata Perak programme will provide a subsidy of RM4,000 to each couple who wants to undergo the treatment.
"We all know that the issue of fertility is not just a challenge from a physical point of view, it also puts a lot of emotional and psychological pressure on couples who are going through it.
"This programme not only offers fertility treatment but also gives hope to couples who are having difficulty conceiving," he said in his speech when inaugurating the Metro IVF Fertility Treatment Specialist Centre here and launching Perak's Impian Dua Garis Support Group programme here on Saturday (Feb 22).
Also present at the event were Metro Healthcare Berhad founder and chairman Dr Tee Swi Peng and Metro IVF Ipoh obstetrics, gynaecology and fertility specialist Professor Dr V Jaya Balan.
Meanwhile, Saarani said Metro IVF Ipoh is now part of a network of 27 IVF fertility centres in Malaysia, with six of them owned by the company.
He said the opening of the centre in Perak further expands access to fertility treatment for the people of the state.
In the meantime, among the eligibility conditions for couples who want to get the subsidy are that they must be Malaysian citizens and Perak residents, married couples diagnosed with infertility and recommended for IVF treatment, and they must meet the medical criteria as evaluated by Metro IVF experts.
The IVF method is said to be able to increase the success rate by up to 40 to 50%, depending on the health condition and individual factors of the couple receiving the treatment.
In fact, for couples between the ages of 25 and 45, with the right treatment and expert guidance, the IVF effectiveness rate can reach between 75% and 90%. - Bernama
