An additional 135 applications for in-vitro fertilisation treatment are being considered as well as those of 53 couples that have already been approved, according to new figures released by the Health Ministry.

Minister Konrad Mizzi had said in Parliament earlier this week that only 53 out of 225 IVF applications had been approved for the treatment at Mater Dei Hospital since the service started being offered last November.

Updating the figures, the ministry said that apart from the 135 applications being considered, another 78 were awaiting consideration while just 14 couples who requested the treatment had been rejected because they did not meet the eligibility criteria.

Opposition health spokesman Claudio Grech was critical of the fact that the ministry released new figures just two days after the parliamentary reply.

“I fail to see why the information was not given correctly at the outset in Parliament. However, the published information raises more questions than answers because, apart from a stark lack of transparency, it seems the government is limiting the number of IVF cycles to be provided,” he said.

He said Labour was breaking its electoral promise to offer IVF treatment to all couples that needed it for free. “One cannot ignore the fact that government broke its electoral promise twofold on this count. Firstly, those selected have to pay for the hormone treatment (that is, it is not entirely free) and, secondly, not all those applying are being given the treatment,” Mr Grech noted.

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