CHIAYI (TVBS News) — Chiayi City's Public Health Bureau (嘉義市政府衛生局) announced on Thursday (Nov. 14) that its 2024 subsidy program for cancer patients seeking to preserve fertility has successfully assisted one male and one female patient. The program aims to support residents diagnosed as suitable for egg or sperm freezing by a physician.
The bureau reported that 152 individuals aged 15 to 49 in Chiayi City were diagnosed with common cancers in 2021, with treatments like chemotherapy or radiation posing risks to reproductive organs and cells. Bureau Director Liao Yu-wei (廖育瑋) explained that women are eligible for a subsidy of NT$35,000 for egg retrieval and the first year of storage, while men can receive NT$8,000 for sperm retrieval and storage.
By the end of Oct. 2024, the program had assisted a 33-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man in undergoing fertility preservation procedures. Liao emphasized that these procedures must occur at licensed assisted reproduction facilities, such as Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital (嘉義基督教醫院) and Jia-an Women and Children Clinic (嘉安婦幼中心) in Chiayi City.
The program's design allows cancer patients to apply for subsidies even if the procedures occur outside of Chiayi City, facilitating their treatment.