The Mayor of Bucharest, Gabriela Firea, has promised financial support for women seeking IVF in order to increase the country’s birth rate. Her draft bill was adopted on Wednesday. Approximately one thousand women could benefit from 13,800 lei (approximately $3,700) paid in three consecutive instalments. There are also plans to grant 2,000 lei (i.e. $540) to women for medical costs not covered by insurance during their pregnancy.
Around 20,000 babies are born every year in Bucharest. Gabriela Firea explained that Romania ranks 5th in the world for infertility rates and one in six couples is affected by infertility. Furthermore, the per-capita rate for IVF treatment is low, representing “only a tenth of that in Western Europe”.
A thousand women should benefit from this aid.
Washington Times (28/3/2018), Medical Press (28/3/2018)