From next summer women in Hungary will only be able to be treated in state-run fertility treatment clinics.
Hungary will provide free in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment to couples at state-run clinics. Fertility is of "strategic importance" for Hungarian government. The country's population has been falling steadily for four decades.
FOCUS ON POPULATION
With an estimated birth rate of 1.48%, Hungary is, as many Eastern European countries, facing demographic decline due to low birth rates and the emigration of working-age people to other EU countries. Some of these countries have implemented their own policies to encourage birth rates to increase. Poland, for example, pays parents 500 zloty (£100) a month per child under its 500+ policy. Croatia considers population growth "a key question" for them. "The birth rate currently stands at 1.59 on average. This is why Croatia has recognised demographic revitalisation as a key question for its further development."
Free IVF treatment will be offered from 1 February in Hungary, but it is not clear who exactly will be entitled to it.
FERTILE GROUND
TFI (total fertility rate) measures how many children the average woman in any country has. The figure has changed significantly in the last decade. In 2011 that figure was 1.23 - the lowest in the EU. Today it is 1.55, which is a 26% increase. Hungary currently ranks 15th in terms of its fertility rate in the EU.
Hungarian government links the fertility rate to investing in family-friendly policies, aiming at increasing the birth rate to hit 2.1 by 2030. In 2020 there were 92,233 births, which was 3.4% up from 2019. So, does it mean more money invested into the groups you want to have children, then the more children there will be?
The answer seems not to be that straightforward. The number of babies born each year has hovered stubbornly around the 90,000 since 2010. Despite very small annual variations, the fact is that the birth rate has stagnated.
If you compare Hungary's fertility rate to Czechia, Slovakia and Poland, it is apparent their trends have followed a very similar course to Hungary's over the last three decades.
In 2011, the Czech fertility rate was 1.43 while now it is 1.71, an increase of 20.3%. In Slovakia, the fertility rate hit its lowest of 1.34 in 2012, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. By 2019, it had climbed back up to 1.57, an increase of 17.2%. Poland hit the bottom of the curve in 2013 at 1.29 and by 2019 it was up 11.6% to 1.44.
STATE RUN CLINICS IN HUNGARY
In December 2019 Hungarian government announced intention to buy six private fertility treatment centres. The reasons communicated for the decision were at that time "pro-life government" being able to know what happens to the unused eggs; and the tendency to make the fertility treatment free.
More over a year an amendment followed stating remaining private clinics providing fertility treatments will not be able to operate; banning private clinics' operation. And from the July 1, 2022 only state-run fertility clinics will be able to treat eligible women in Hungary.
This affects not only new patients but also new treatments for existing patients. Providers shall be compensated and should hand over the embryos and gametes they hold. If this is the case, the state would take complete control of infertility treatments in Hungary.
The Hungarian government takes many different measures to halt population decline and has previously stressed out this is why state ownership of fertility clinics is needed. No doubt the measure could significantly increase access to the treatment. But there are also many who could be negatively affected.
Apart from the few private medical centres, fertility treatments are only available in 12 state-subsidised fertility clinics in Hungary. There are between 150 000 - 200 000 couples in need of the treatment. By comparison, in the Czech Republic, where population size is similar to Hungary, there are nearly 40 private; successfully operating fertility centres. It is quite obvious fertility treatment centres in Hungary might become incredibly overloaded and the freedom of choice limited.
Many Hungarians nowadays opt for the fertility treatment abroad. Not only couples new to the fertility journey, but also those being already in the process, shipping their frozen embryos to the clinics of their choice abroad, where they can continue procedure without unnecessary delay and can choose from many latest modern treatment options.
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TIP: what to read on our blog next: Learn more about Infertility trend in 2021.