The Victorian Government has reversed a decision to put a pause on IVF procedures.
The move to stop the treatments for thousands of hopeful mothers amid mounting cases of Omicron in Victorian hospitals saw widespread public backlash, with many arguing IVF procedures shouldn't be classified as elective.
Deputy Premier James Merlino announced this morning that some services will resume as soon as today, while others will restart by next Tuesday.
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"Following advice from the Chief Health Officer, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedures suspended as part of the temporary changes to protect our hospitals will recommence to support Victorians who are wanting to start or grow their families," Mr Merlino said in a statement.
Mr Merlino confirmed restrictions could be removed as the specialist nature of the IVF workforce, facilities and equipment were "not imperative to support the pandemic response at this time".
The statement also confirmed the Department of Health would work closely with the Royal Women's Hospital to prioritise urgent patients and ensure changes don't affect the state's COVID-19 response.
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"IVF is a challenging journey for anyone to go through, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic and we're deeply sorry for the distress caused by affected services in recent weeks," Mr Merlino said.
He also said further advice is being sought about "whether other services may be able to resume without a critical impact on current hospital workforce capacity".
