Government Approves Project Supporting Infertile Couples

The government today approved a decision aimed at overcoming infertility, which aims to improve the realization of the rights of infertile couples by establishing mechanisms for the research and treatment of the causes of infertility for certain population groups, as well as for the provision and implementation of assisted reproductive technologies, ensuring a comprehensive regulation of other relationships emerging in the field of reproductive health.

With the amendments to the government decision No. 568-N dated May 27, 2015, on 'Medical Assistance and Service Order using Free or Preferential Conditions for Assisted Reproductive Technologies and the Requirements Presented to Beneficiaries,' the volumes of medical assistance and services guaranteed free of charge by the state for the purpose of treating and overcoming infertility, including through assisted reproductive technologies, are defined. Accordingly, couples who have been infertile for two years or more (without the two-year limitation in cases of absolute indications) have the right to utilize these medical assistance volumes, if one of the spouses is a soldier defined by Articles 1 and 2 of Article 72 of the Law on 'Military Service and Military Status' of the Republic of Armenia, or the parent of a deceased son who died during or related to military service, applicants who are beneficiaries in the family benefit system with a poverty score of 30.01 or higher, individuals with disabilities of one of the spouses, provided that there is no contraindication for the woman to carry a pregnancy, couples residing in border communities receiving social support as defined by Annex 1 of the government decision No. 1444-N dated December 18, 2014.

At the same time, couples must meet the following conditions: (1) either spouse must be a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, and the marriage must be registered in accordance with the law, (2) the woman must be in the age group of 20-35 (inclusive) years (an exception is made only for parents of a deceased son who died during or related to military service, where the woman’s age can be up to 42 years), in which case, upon applying/registering and having indications for the use of reproductive assisted technologies at the age of 35, the woman retains the status of a program beneficiary until she turns 38 years old.

Amendments to decision No. 568-N also establish the procedure for registering beneficiaries for medical assistance and services using assisted reproductive technologies guaranteed free of charge by the state. According to this procedure, the registration and queuing of citizens' applications for receiving medical assistance and services through assisted reproductive technologies are carried out through a centralized process using a unified electronic healthcare system by the organization to which the beneficiary has applied.

In all cases where direct indications for artificial insemination or fertilization are identified as a result of the investigations of the queued beneficiaries' causes, the patient is prioritized for service by the commission’s decision. Medical organizations provide the population with information about the procedure for registering and queuing beneficiaries' applications by posting it in a visible location at the organization's reception area.