Martin calls for restoration of infertility treatment (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

Cheltenham Liberal Democrats <info@cheltlibdems.org.uk>

Martin calls for restoration of infertility treatment

November 7, 2006 8:24 PM

Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood has met with local infertility campaigner Clare Brown at the House of Commons, along with a representative of the National Infertility Awareness Campaign. They told Martin that Gloucestershire was one of the few counties in the country to be abandoning the infertility treatment IVF (in vitro fertilisation). This is one of the least publicised of the long list of closures and cuts in the local NHS which also included the closure of overnight care at Battledown children's ward, the closure of the Delancey hospital and the loss of higher risk births from St.Paul's maternity unit.

Martin fought consistently against the cuts, blaming national government mismanagement of NHS finances.

He promised to take up the issue with the new Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust. "I understand they can't change the ridiculous financial situation they've been placed in" said Martin "but I want to see a timetable for the restoration of this service once the immediate financial crisis is past. Infertility is a deeply distressing condition for the families concerned and they deserve IVF treatment that is available to people in other counties."