Mere months after the B.C. government rolled out a program that offers one free round of in vitro fertilization (IVF) to those who are approved, 1130 NewsRadio has learned the funding for at least one clinic has run out for the year.
Dr. Jason Hitkari has been a fertility specialist for nearly two decades, and he works at Olive Fertility Centre in Vancouver, one of three clinics approved by the province.
He says the centre's allocated funding for 2025 has all been used up.
"The way the funding works is there is a tranche of funding available for the year, and then we go through the waitlist over time, and eventually that funding runs out. Yes, this year's allocation has been put to patients already, and they've been able to access it, and everyone else is waiting until next year's funding becomes available, which will be the spring of next year."
"The government won't let us put an application in for that patient unless there are funds available for them... and there aren't any this year."
Hitkari says demand started spiking when the provincial government announced a commitment of $68 million over two years, after tabling the budget in March 2024. Applications will be accepted until the end of March 2026, and right now, there is no indication the Ministry of Health will extend or expand the program past that point.
Applicants must be 41 or younger, and Hitkari says some people will simply age out.
"Patients who are on the cusp of starting to age out, they'll say, 'Just put my application in. Just make sure the government knows I'm here.' Unfortunately, the government won't let us put an application in for that patient unless there are funds available for them, and there aren't any available funds left this year," explains Hitkari.
"The reason why there is an [age] cap is, as people get older, the success rates of IVF decline. I think it would be nice if there were more funds available, so people weren't waiting on a wait list."
Hitkari says telling people that they may have to find another option is heartbreaking.
"I see patients in my office that are struggling, and I totally feel their anxiety and stress around things like aging out. And there isn't really a good solution except to put more funds into the program. Some people probably, biologically, wait a year or so, if you're 25... but it's those people in their late 30s or early 40s where time is of the essence. Advising them to hang out and wait to see what the funding is maybe not the wisest thing. There's a lot of uncertainty."
Despite the funding crunch and B.C. lagging behind other provinces, Hitkari, who was an advisor to the provincial government, is praising Victoria for the program.
"I think the program we put together is excellent... [but] I think the downside is there's just not enough funding for everybody. I think that wait list issue is the big issue."
Grace Fertility and Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM) are the other two approved clinics, which also have satellite offices around the province.
PCRM tells 1130 NewsRadio it still has some funding, but had to put a moratorium on adding more patients to its wait list.
"Our current wait list could exhaust the funding allocation. We don't want to add people to a wait list if funding is not available to them. Once again, we are looking for the government to extend their commitment, which will go a long way to helping patients coming through consults today to look forward to some level of funding subsidy," it says in an email.
It confirms demand began in February 2024, a month before the province made it official.
"Over the past 18 months, our inbound referrals increased by 40 per cent compared to the average volume. Once the program launched, funded cycles started slowly as patients were looking to organize their lives around their upcoming fertility journey. Since September 1st, we've been running very close to capacity."
When the program launched, operators said the wait list was over 1,000 people long. Now it's roughly 700.
Advocate Penny Blesch, who underwent IVF years ago, echoes calls from both clinics for more money. She wants to see the program made permanent, or at least extended for another five years, and fully covered under MSP.
"I know that overall, our medical systems are in crisis, and this is just another layer of that. It's not separate from it," said Blesch.
For those who don't get approved, age out, or can't wait, she says, it's realistic that they may have to pay their own way.
"It's all about time, and as time ticks away, so does your fertility," she said.
"If they're not able to fund it themselves, then their likelihood of getting pregnant will diminish over time, so it's a really rough spot for many, many people."
The province currently doesn't cover travel costs, as egg retrieval can only be done at labs in Vancouver and Victoria.
Blesch, who has also been in talks about how to improve the program with the premier, wants that to change as well.
"They also need mental health support when you're going through treatment. With treatment often comes a lot of loss. Statistically, it takes three rounds of IVF in order to have a successful pregnancy. Pregnancy loss supports; Travel and accommodations are required for most people who live outside the Lower Mainland."
Approval is income-tested, and those who are given the green light can get up to $19,000 toward one round.