The government will be sending couples on the waiting list for IVF treatment to private clinics, to receive the treatment there free of charge. 

Prime Minister Abela made the announcement during a political activity on Monday evening, where he said that the proposal, which has been approved by Cabinet, will see the government enter into an agreement with private operators to the tune of €6 million. 

The government, Abela said had already fulfilled its promise to refund the cost of IVF-related medicine for couples who chose to undergo the procedure privately and was undertaking this new measure in the spirit of helping couples become parents faster. 

He added that since 2013, some 600 babies have been born in Malta thanks to IVF. 

A report found in 2022 that more than one in every four people who underwent IVF treatment in Malta successfully got pregnant, with a take-home baby rate of 27.74%. 

That year 274 IVF cycles were carried out, which resulted in 90 pregnancies and 32 babies being born. At the time the report was published, 44 pregnancies were still underway.