Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ11: Reproductive technology services
Following is a question by the Professor Hon Joseph Lee and a written
reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the
Legislative Council today (November 27):
Question:
As stated in the consultation document on population policy released
recently, to cope with the low birth rate situation in Hong Kong, the
Government intends to explore various measures to encourage childbirth,
including subsidising treatment using assisted reproductive
technologies. In this connection, will the Government inform this
Council whether:
(a) it knows the number of couples seeking assistance from infertility
treatment service units in public hospitals, their age distribution, the
number of such couples who received reproductive technology treatment,
as well as the success rate, waiting time and average unit cost of the
treatment services concerned, in each of the past five years;
(b) it has assessed the demand for reproductive technology treatment
services in the coming 10 years; if it has, of the details; if not,
whether it will conduct such an assessment;
(c) it has assessed the expenditure required to enhance public
hospitals' reproductive technology treatment services to meet the demand
mentioned in (b); if it has, of the details; if not, whether it will
conduct such an assessment; and
(d) it knows the current numbers of reproductive technology experts and
relevant professionals in public hospitals; whether the authorities have
assessed if there is adequate manpower at present to extend the said
services to meet the demand mentioned in (b); if the assessment result
is in the negative, whether it will train up additional manpower; if it
will, of the details?
Reply:
President,
Under Hong Kong's public healthcare system, infertility treatment falls
under the specialty of gynaecology. Couples with fertility issues should
first approach the Hospital Authority (HA)'s General Out-patient
Clinics, private medical practitioners or the Family Planning
Association of Hong Kong. Where necessary, patients will be referred to
HA's Gynaecology Specialist Out-patient Clinics (SOPC) to follow-up.
My reply to Professor Hon Lee's question is as follows:
(a) The HA provides reproductive technology (RT) services at nine public
hospitals (Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Princess Margaret
Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Tseung Kwan O Hospital, Tuen Mun
Hospital, United Christian Hospital, Kwong Wah Hospital, Prince of Wales
Hospital and Queen Mary Hospital ) with gynaecology specialty for
infertile couples under the age of 40 (for females aged below 40 only).
Between October 2012 and September 2013, the waiting time for the first
gynaecology SOPC consultation ranged from 23 to 129 weeks. The two local
universities also offer private RT services at Queen Mary Hospital and
Prince of Wales Hospital. Attending doctors provide treatments and
referrals in accordance with individual patients' situations. As the
HA's current statistics on SOPC patients do not provide further
breakdown by reasons for seeking treatment, details on the waiting time
of couples seeking infertility treatment are not available.
In 2012, HA conducted 1 632 government-subsidised and 1 827 private
treatment cycles, involving 1 345 and 1 413 patients respectively
(couples may receive more than one treatment cycle/type of treatment).
The waiting time for government-subsidised treatments range from one to
18 months, depending on the types of treatment required. The HA cannot
provide statistical figures for 2007 to 2011 owing to the complexity of
the data collection process.
Regarding success rates, according to information released by the
Council on Human Reproductive Technology, the total number of live
births through RT procedures in Hong Kong was 1 231 in 2010. The overall
success rates in terms of live birth were 20.4% for in-vitro
fertilisation (IVF) and 8.0% for artificial insemination by husband
(AIH). A breakdown of the data by age is at Annex. The cost per SOPC
attendance of the HA is about $1,110. The HA is not able to provide the
average unit cost for RT treatment. The fees for IVF service range from
$4,000 to $12,000 per treatment cycle, mainly to cover drugs and
laboratory costs.
(b) and (c) It is difficult for the Administration to estimate demand
for RT treatment as it depends on various factors including marriage
rate, marriage age and childbearing tendency that are affected by
economic and social changes. It is however envisaged that there will be
an increase in demand in the coming ten years vis-a-vis the trend of
late marriage and rising number of people receiving RT treatments. The
Administration will closely monitor community demand for RT services.
Apart from strengthening the provision of RT services in the public
sector, we will disseminate more information about local RT services
through the HA, the Department of Health, the Council on Human
Reproductive Technology and other relevant organisations, as well as
encourage couples to start family planning early and to seek medical
help promptly as necessary.
(d) Specialists in obstetrics and gynaecology can perform intrauterine
RT treatments for female patients, while IVF procedures are performed by
subspecialists in reproductive medicine. At present, there are nine
subspecialists in reproductive medicine and 15 embryologists providing
RT services at HA's hospitals.
The Administration will keep in view community demands for RT services
and enhance public RT services through training more specialists and
procuring additional equipment and facilities. The Administration will
also review the current level of fees to make the services accessible to
more couples in need.
Ends/Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:19
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