Relaxation of Eligibility Criteria and Shortening of Investigation Period
Jeonnam Province announced on the 11th that it will strengthen “Oriental medicine treatment support” for infertile couples by easing infertility support criteria, shortening the follow-up investigation period, and expanding the target group to address the low birthrate issue.
By easing the infertility support criteria, the province plans to align the infertility standards of Western and Oriental medicine to provide benefits to more infertile couples.
Previously, the criteria uniformly defined infertile couples as “households registered residents in the province for more than 6 months who have not been able to conceive for over a year.”
However, considering the higher likelihood of infertility in advanced maternal age and the Western medicine infertility standards, the criteria have been relaxed to “infertile couples who have been registered residents in the province for more than 6 months and have not conceived for over 1 year if under 35 years old, or over 6 months if 35 years old or older.”
Additionally, the previous 3-month follow-up investigation period was shortened to 2 months starting this year, reflecting opinions that the original period was unrealistic for infertile patients wishing to receive Western infertility treatments as well.
The follow-up investigation period refers to the time frame to verify the pregnancy effects of Oriental medicine infertility treatment. During this period, patients are advised not to undergo Western infertility procedures.
The number of beneficiaries has also increased from 150 last year to 180 this year, aiming to provide more support to couples suffering from infertility.
Since 2018, Jeonnam Province has collaborated with the Jeonnam Association of Korean Medicine to cover 30% of the costs and launched a support project for Oriental medicine infertility treatment. Up to 2023, 722 cases have been supported, with 97 pregnancies resulting in a 13.4% pregnancy success rate.
The government has also begun movements to support Oriental medicine infertility treatments. On the 9th, the Maternal and Child Health Act bill was passed at the National Assembly plenary session, establishing a legal basis for supporting Oriental medicine infertility treatment costs. The Oriental medicine infertility treatment support, which had been led by local governments such as Jeonnam, is expected to expand into a national support project.
Kim Myung-shin, Director of the Population and Youth Policy Division of Jeonnam Province, said, “In 2023, the total number of successful pregnancies supported by both Western and Oriental infertility treatments was 859, with a pregnancy success rate exceeding 20%,” adding, “Jeonnam Province will continue to advocate for the ‘National Responsibility System for Childbirth and Parenting’ to provide more comprehensive support projects, including support for infertile couples.”
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