Health | Kiang Wu opens assisted reproduction center

Kiang Wu Hospital opened its assisted reproduction center on Saturday, introducing services that will accommodate up to one thousand cases per year.

The hospital says that it has acquired advanced technology in assisted reproductive services, however pre-implantation genetic screening will not be permitted for now. This is because Macau’s law forbids gender selection, which can be influenced during the genetic screening process.

The new center, to be staffed by 10 professionals, will offer standard in vitro fertilization treatment at a cost between MOP60,000 and MOP70,000 per year, according the hospital’s deputy director, Chan Tai Ip.

“The overall design of the center should be able to handle 1,000 cases per year,” said the deputy director, as cited by public broadcaster TDM. “The equipment is relatively more advanced, so according to the cost accounting, the initial price will be set at around MOP60,000 to MOP70,000.”

In July, Macao Daily News reported that Chan had suggested the hospital would fix the price of the services in accordance with the actual needs of people in Macau. Citing concerns about Macau’s “imperfect supply chain”, the deputy director said at the time that the price might be lower than the cost of the service itself, ranging between MOP30,000 and MOP50,000.

Last year, the authorities identified and cracked down on several cases of illegal assisted reproduction activities at health clinics located in Macau. The Health Bureau maintains that there are only a select number of institutions that can provide these services, such as the Conde de S. Januário Hospital Center and at private health institutions that possess emergency services, as well as obstetrics and neonatal intensive care units.

Earlier this year, a team of license experts from the Health Bureau inspected the assisted reproduction center at Kiang Wu Hospital.