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NEWS Clinicians tempt ‘IVF tourists’ to stay safe
A clinic which fears couples may use unregulated overseas clinics for cut-price IVF treatment has created a package which it hopes will tempt them to stay at home – and stay safe. Cambridge IVF, which is part of Cambridge University Hospitals, has unveiled a treatment called Multi-cycle IVF which competes favourably with on-line prices, but meets all- important National Institute of Clinical Guidelines (NICE), to give patients a genuine chance of success.
The package is specifically aimed at women
who are struggling to conceive and consists of three rounds of IVF treatment with highly qualified clinicians. The Trumpington-based clinic says at between £6740 and £8990 for up to three cycles of IVF it will cover costs and tempt couples to think twice before heading overseas. Multi-cycle will only be offered to those patients who are likely to benefit, and the clinic will not entertain using any treatments or ‘IVF add-ons’ that are not clinically proven.
The package follows hot on the heels of
another development this year called PURE IVF, which is aimed at women aged 38 or under with a BMI of 18 to 30, with no significant medical complexities and is overseen by specially trained fertility nurses. It costs £2500 and – as with all Cambridge IVF treatments – all fees charged go straight into the NHS. Service lead and consultant embryologist, Stephen Harbottle said: “There is a lot of concern that patients desperate to start a family don’t really know what they need, what they are paying for, or what is safe.
“While there are some excellent overseas clinics, some aren’t regulated in the same way they are here. One of the dangers is that too many embryos are transferred, leading to unsafe and unviable pregnancies. Ironically, this later presents problems for the NHS who manage these difficult pregnancies when the patients return home. “We feel we must strive to change the
situation. The public deserve access to affordable high quality healthcare for fertility issues, particularly when you consider fertility is classified by the World Healthcare Organisation as a disease – in this case a disease of the reproductive system. It is an illness just like any other.” Lead consultant, Dr Alka Prakash, added:
“It is every woman’s natural instinct to want children and it concerns us that some will go to any lengths to conceive, including using clinics that are not registered or offering treatments that are not clinically proven. “We have worked hard to develop packages that compare well with any found online so that we can start a dialogue with woman around what is best for them, what is likely to deliver the results they so badly desire and, above all, what is safe.”
New scanner lands safely after crane drop through roof
The London Clinic, a private hospital and charity in Harley Street, will be the first hospital in the UK to offer patients the latest diagnostic imaging with the new Siemens MAGNETOM Vida 3T MRI scanner in September 2018. Patients with cancer, orthopaedic (spine, shoulders, knees and hips), urology (prostate and bladder) and neurology (brain) conditions will have access to high quality diagnostic scans with the latest 3T MRI technology. A high-rise crane carefully lowered the multi-million pound scanner through the hospital’s roof on Saturday 14 July. The scanner works by generating a magnetic field that is said to be twice the strength of other 1.5 Tesla scanners. The image clarity and detail is particularly
SEPTEMBER 2018
beneficial for health conditions involving the brain, spine, musculoskeletal system and heart, clearly showing small structures or disease within the body, such as small tumours. “We are proud that The London Clinic is the first hospital in the UK to offer our consultants and patients access to the new Siemens MAGNETOM Vida 3T MRI scanner,” said Al Russell, chief executive at The London Clinic. “Our multi-million pound investment provides more appointments and comfort for patients and is a key part of strategy to support our consultants in accurate diagnosis to deliver the best health outcomes for patients. The crane installation in central London was a spectacle in the skyline and expertly managed by the project team,” he added.
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