Over 7,600 Taiwan couples granted infertility treatment subsidy in July
Taiwan scrambling to address its extremely low fertility rate
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A total of 7,636 couples have applied for and been granted a subsidy this month to receive in vitro fertilization (IVF), as Taiwan endeavors to boost its dwindling birth rate.
Subsidies for infertility treatment were expanded to cover all couples effective July 1, irrespective of their financial status, while only low- and middle-income families were eligible previously. The number of institutions offering the service has also been increased from 19 to 29, according to the Health Promotion Administration (HPA).
Married couples are eligible if one of them is a Taiwanese citizen and the wife is under 45 years of age. A medical certificate proving such a procedure is needed should also be provided.
Eligible low- and middle-income households will get a maximum cash payment of NT$150,000 (US$5,363) for each IVF session. For others, up to NT$10,000 will be granted for the first session, with no more than NT$60,000 per treatment in subsequent sessions.
More information on the IVF program can be found on the HPA website.
Taiwan registered negative population growth in 2020 for the first time in history, with 165,249 births and 173,156 deaths. The downward trend continued in the first half of 2021, which saw 74,609 births and 93,649 deaths.
Taiwan came in last in the CIA’s fertility rate report for 227 countries, with 1.07 children per woman. As of June, Taiwan has a population of 23,487,509, according to the Ministry of the Interior’s Department of Household Registration.
