Success and Take-up Rates of Assisted Reproduction Technology Treatments

Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked the Minister for Health over the past five years (a) what is the success rate of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatments in public and private hospitals; (b) how many Singaporean couples have been undertaking these treatments and what are their rates of success; and (c) what percentage of these treatments are funded under the Government subsidy for assisted reproduction technology treatments.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: Over the five-year period from 2009 to 2013, the average success rate of IVF treatment, calculated in terms of the percentage of fresh cycles performed which resulted in a live birth, was 22% in public hospitals and 20% in private healthcare institutions.

A total of 11,979 fresh cycles were performed for Singaporean couples (ie where at least one spouse is a Singapore citizen) during that period, and the success rate was 22%.

The co-funding policy for Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) treatment, which applies to ART centres in public hospitals only, was enhanced in January 2013 and also extended to cover frozen cycles. In that year, more than 80% of IVF treatment cycles for Singaporean couples in the public hospital ART centres benefited from the co-funding. Couples can also make use of their Medisave to pay for IVF treatment in both the public and private centres.