imlach

From today's Scotland on Sunday.....

Seems harsh on those going through the pain of IVF in Scotland ....

Asylum seekers to get get IVF on NHS before childless Scots

EDDIE BARNES
POLITICAL EDITOR


ASYLUM seekers will be given NHS fertility treatment on demand in a controversial move which will mean they are treated almost three times as quickly as many Scots.

Ministers have told doctors they must provide In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) - at a cost per treatment of around £2,700 - to asylum seekers on exactly the same basis as Scottish patients.

The order was given after several asylum seekers sought IVF from the NHS in Scotland and doctors decided to seek the advice of health officials on whether they should provide the treatment.

Ministers have not only authorised IVF for those applying for asylum but have ruled that courses of treatment, which can go on for several months, should continue even if the patient’s application to remain in the UK is rejected.

Fertility treatment waiting lists across many parts of Scotland - including Edinburgh and Dundee - stand at an average of two years. The shortest waiting list, at nine months, is in Glasgow where the vast majority of asylum seekers are based.

It means that many women claiming asylum in Scotland will receive treatment far quicker than Scottish women living elsewhere in the country.

The new Scottish Executive guidance to NHS fertility clinics states: "Provided a hospital is satisfied that an asylum seeker meets the criteria for infertility treatment, which obviously is a matter for clinical judgment in each case, it should be given."

In the case of IVF, courses of treatment typically take up to 10 weeks per cycle. Women receive two or three cycles of treatment depending on its success.

The guidance goes on to state that even if asylum seekers who are in the middle of IVF treatment are then told to leave the country "they must be allowed to stay until the course of treatment is complete".

One Edinburgh-based medical insider said: "There are some tragic stories of women from countries who say they can’t conceive. But at the end of the day, has anyone ever died from not getting IVF?

"There’s no evidence yet of asylum seekers using this deliberately as a way of staying in the country, but word does get round."

Critics also point out that mothers who are pregnant or have a child have a far greater chance of staying in the UK.

The decision to give asylum seekers treatment has already been taken in many English areas, prompting claims that the NHS was encouraging "test-tube tourism".

However, foreign citizens in the UK who are not seeking asylum are not allowed to receive the treatment. Government lawyers have already taken the view that until a case is brought, there is nothing in the European Convention of Human Rights which entitles childless couples to IVF treatment.

Critics warned that the move would be poorly received by couples already waiting for treatment.

Conservative MSP Mary Scanlon, who is campaigning for improved IVF access in Scotland, said: "Any decision to give IVF treatment to asylum seekers should be taken against a background of many couples in Scotland who have to wait over two years for treatment. Others who have had to remortgage their homes and take out big loans to fund their own treatment.

"In one particular case, one couple have been asking for IVF and they are still in the system for treatment five years after approaching the NHS.

"I would hope IVF treatment is not being abused or exploited in order to ease immigration difficulties. Given that there is a finite level of resources and given that women are waiting two years for treatment, the result of this decision is that many couples in Scotland will go further down the queue."

She went on: "I would have thought that if the Health Minister made such a decision he would allocate additional resources so that women are not disadvantaged."

Access to IVF in Scotland has improved in recent years, and is thought to be far better than in England. In 2000, new guidance was issued to ensure that access to treatment was fair across the whole of Scotland.

However, claims of a ‘postcode lottery’ linger, with the length of time couples have to wait for treatment still dependent on where they live.

In both the Lothians and Tayside, the average wait is currently two years. In Dumfries and Galloway it is 21 months, in Lanarkshire, 16 months, while in Glasgow, Argyll and Clyde, and Ayrshire and Arran, the wait is a mere nine months. Figures were not available for other areas.

Access to the treatment is still tightly regulated, and is only available to women aged under 38. Couples who have a child living in their home are also barred from receiving treatment.

It is expected that almost all the referrals for asylum seekers’ treatment will be handled at Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary. The city currently has 5,907 asylum seekers, from countries including Turkey, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Kosovo.

Sally Daghlian, chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council, said the question of whether asylum seekers should receive fertility treatment was one for doctors to take.

She said: "It is a complex medical, ethical and emotional issue, which is best dealt with by the medical and social work professions."

imlach

This is a tough one morally, but should we, or rather the NHS, be encouraging those who currently are not UK residents to be able to conceive which causes more expense for the taxpayer to keep the asylum seekers (and their NHS funded offspring) in the UK?

The fact that asylum seekers with children born while in asylum seem to have a better chance of remaining in the UK also seems "interesting".

I'm not really "anti-asylum", but to encourage assisted procreation, AND for that to be at the expense of UK residents seems wrong to me.

scoobchrissy

iTrader: (1)

Very f**king wrong

corradoboy

Can someone please create a political party which will represent me. I'm at a loss

unclebuck

"Asylum seekers to get IVF fertility treatment on NHS before some childless Scots "

They deserve it. They haved suffered more than you could imagine. I feel their pain. They can come and live in my house if they want to.

UB

fast bloke

Nah - I agree 100% imlach - All Scots should be neutered .... hang on - Are you sure Scotland isn't in the UK?



(Sorry for the hijack M8 but the pubs have just shut )

Petem95

Just cant wait to give Bliar a kicking in the next election. Just hope the Tories get f*cking tough on asylum seekers and dont bow down to the demands of the PC crew all the time like Bliar

Was pleased to read this on bbc news recently: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3599814.stm

Howard wants "common sense not political correctness", talk about nail on the head - lets just hope hes not just all talk.

Claudius

The fact that you can come to Scotland and get all sorts of support and a decent life when having had to leave your (usually poor or third world) country is very good for asylum seekers. Getting IVF treatment sounds a bit OTT, especially if this happens while their case is being studied (as opposed to after having been approved).

But the fact that non asylum seeking, non UK nationals should be denied the treatment is simply scandalous. How is that?

Chip

This doesn't surprise me at all, though I would imagine any gay, black or disabled asylum seekers would be top of the list.

Chip.

^OPM^

very true-just hope they dont forget the private hospital room for them as well-cant have em having to slumb it now can we....

Iwan

******* outrageous.

Redkop

I am unable to show surprise anymore at some of the ludicrous decisions made by this government.

Sooner Blair gets ousted - the better IMO

PG

but I bet we have more gold medals than them

Prince Popeye

'They deserve it. They haved suffered more than you could imagine. I feel their pain. They can come and live in my house if they want to.

UB'

I'm with UB on this one. An open door policy on Asylum is what I'd like. Like yourself UB I'd welcome them all into my household with open arms. They come first over ANYONE albeit OAP's, War Vets etc etc. Its about time we had such great news.

Chip

I take it you'll be applying to put a few up in your spare room then.

chip

SCOsazOBY

I work with asylum seekers and refugees and just like us you get your good uns and bad uns.

Can you imagine having to put your life on hold in a strange country not knowing whether your coming or going for 1,2 or even 5 years of your life?? You have to learn a new language, fit in with society, you have no family,have to find work (in most cases) then wait 5 years to be told that you cant stay???

asylum seekers and refugees who are granted leave to remain in this country are so greatful. I can say a lot more positive things about them than i can about the new EU country people, thats for sure!

As long as the pc crew is abolished then there will be no que jumping in anything! We all fall into a catagory somehow, yet others get prefferencial treatment, if your disabled, lone parent, ethnic minority, disadvantaged group etc! What happened to equal opportunities eh????

22BUK

Let's hope that you're not teaching them English...

unclebuck

Must be terrible.

SCOsazOBY

i speak perfect english, but tend to use the old texting brain whilst posting, am sure you could of done better

Yep, its a real shame UB

^OPM^

Can you imagine having to put your life on hold in a strange country not knowing whether your coming or going for 1,2 or even 5 years of your life?? You have to learn a new language, fit in with society, you have no family,have to find work (in most cases) then wait 5 years to be told that you cant stay???

simple answer to having to put your life on hold etc etc as above-dont come to our country then-stay in your own country-simple answer!

Iwan

Better that they **** off sooner rather than later then, less hassle all round.

farmer1

I swear the government is determined to make me racist. And the next teacher who gives me some pathetic sob story to justify this crap is gonna get a right mouthful.

Ohh the youth of today, we are so dis-respectful any wonder why???