Committee of Supply 2024 debate, Day 5: Louis Ng on extending IVF subsidies to private clinics, providing subsidies for fertility testing and ensuring nurses have sufficient rest

In Parliament on Tuesday (Mar 5), MP Louis Ng asked the Ministry of Health (MOH) if it can consider allowing couples who have failed two in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles in a public hospital to receive co-funding for treatment at private clinics. “Couples undergoing IVF are a group that is trying so hard to have children and we are not doing enough to help them,” he said. He also highlighted that early fertility screening helps people catch problems early and avoid even more costly fertility treatments, and reiterated his call for the Government to consider providing more subsidies for fertility screening and creating a separate MediSave category for it. As hospitals remain stretched post-COVID, he asked if MOH can ensure that hospitals do away with consecutive sets of afternoon shifts followed by morning shifts, and ensure nurses have a minimum amount of rest between shifts, similar to what is done for flight attendants.