A subsidy program targeting couples suffering from infertility has resulted in the births of 3,070 babies one year after the government increased the program’s funding, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said Wednesday.
Former health minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) had initially approved a plan to increase the subsidies to about NT$600 million (US$20 million) a year, but Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) ordered this to be further increased to NT$3 billion a year, Health and Welfare Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said at a news conference in Taipei held to mark the first anniversary of the program’s expansion.
Su also demanded that the subsidies be issued immediately after qualifying couples have received treatment, so that their expenses could be covered in a timely manner, Hsueh said.
As of Monday, a total of 44,803 couples had qualified for the subsidies, of which 27,853 couples had claimed subsidies totaling NT$2.07 billion after seeking medical help, he said.
In addition, 2,733 couples who have benefitted from the expanded program had given birth to 3,070 babies as of Monday, he said, adding that at this rate, more than 10,000 babies will be born by the end of this year under the program.
From July 2021 to March 2022, 93.9 percent of couples in Taiwan that used artificial insemination chose to implant one or two embryos, which was the second-highest rate in the world after Australia and New Zealand’s 99.8 percent, according to the MOHW.
Implanting no more than two embryos into the uterus helps to prevent problems commonly associated with multiple pregnancies, including premature birth and underweight babies, the MOHW said.
Su said that there would be no upper limit for the subsidy program’s funding, adding that if the funding is depleted, the government will tap one of its reserve funds.
It is important that parents have adequate support, so the monthly child-rearing allowance will be raised from NT$3,500 to NT$5,000 starting next month, the premier said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel