The Embryo Protection Authority is calling on the government to fulfil its electoral manifesto and provide the necessary resources for IVF to be given to all couples who need it.

In its annual report, tabled in Parliament on Monday, the authority pointed out it was still operating from a small room in St Luke’s Hospital. Although it would move to a new, larger room within the Entitlement Section in the same building in Guardamangia, the authority said this would still not be sufficient to enable it to perform its functions.

Importantly, the IVF authority remains without staff. “To date, the authority is still without human resources and the work [over the past year] has been done strictly by the members of the board of the authority, together with the board’s secretary,” the annual report said.

The authority called on the government to fulfil its electoral promises, recommending that the legal notice it proposed to add new provisions to the Embryo Protection Act be enacted as soon as possible.

“This legal notice is in line with the government’s manifesto proposal to ensure the IVF authority will have all the necessary resources,” it said.

The need for the additional provisions is twofold: to provide the authority with the necessary tools to conduct its operations and to bring it in conformity with other statutory acts establishing the set up of such authorities.

The Labour Party’s electoral manifesto stated: “We will ensure that the competent authority will be given all the necessary resources so that IVF can be implemented without restrictions and given free of charge to all couples who require it.”

The authority listed its responsibilities in the annual report. These include assessing applications and keeping records, giving guidance to existing private clinics and Mater Dei Hospital on IVF procedures, collaborating with the Health Ministry in answering parliamentary questions “being made repeatedly” on assisted reproductive technology (ART) and the eligibility criteria.

The authority is represented on the ART prioritisation committee, which meets regularly to assess new cases. New cases are registered each week at Mater Dei and applications cannot be assessed on a first-come-first-served basis because priority of treatment is given to couples where the woman’s age is an issue.

The annual report includes a breakdown of figures since it started regulating the sector in May last year. In the 12-month period to this May, the authority received 142 requests for IVF procedures in the private and public sectors, granting approval in 138 cases. Three requests were declined because the women were aged over 42, the upper limit set out in the guidelines, and one application was rejected because the woman was under 25, the lower limit.

Since the start of the year, there were two IVF cycles. Last January, Mater Dei started offering its services and 27 couples underwent procedures. Of these, six cases resulted in a pregnancy.

Another cycle was carried out last March in the private sector where 43 couples underwent the procedure, 11 resulting in a pregnancy.