A GROUP of campaigners who have called on Oxford health officials to review its fertility funding, are now lobbying the county’s MPs for help.

Last month, the group handed its petition, which demanded Oxfordshire NHS Primary Care Trust abandoned what it labelled ‘age discrimination’ in its policy, to the PCT’s headquarters.

Now the organiser of the campaign, Richard Mackenzie, from Witney, is co-ordinating a letter-writing campaign and has urged people to contact Oxfordshire MPs to ask them for help.

Oxfordshire PCT will only fund IVF treatment for couples when the woman is aged between 35 and 39, despite guidance issued in 2004 by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) stating that treatment should be given free of charge to couples in which the woman is aged between 23 and 39.

Mr Mackenzie, 29, and his 26-year-old partner have been trying for six years to have a child, but under the current policy they are deemed too young to be eligible for treatment.

He said: “I have contacted everyone who signed the petition and urged them to write to their MP and see how they can support us.

“We’re going to be as annoying and as much of a nuisance as we can until someone listens to us.”

Oxfordshire PCT, along with all other PCTs in the NHS South Central Strategic Health Authority area — which includes Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes — is considering lowering the age bracket for treatment to between 30 and 34.

But the campaigners said this would still constitute age discrimination.

Last night, Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: “I believe both in relation to IVF and other things like cancer drugs that once the Nice guidelines are laid down, they should be adopted across the country.”

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Dr Evan Harris said he also agreed the Nice guidelines should be implemented.

A spokesman for David Cameron said the Witney MP and Conservative Party leader had arranged a meeting with Mr Mackenzie.

She added: “David sympathises with Mr MacKenzie and realises how important this issue is to him.“ But Banbury MP Tony Baldry said it was not up to MPs to tell the PCT what the best use of funds was.

He added: “One has to have every empathy with a couple who aren’t able to conceive.

“However, I’m not in a position to make a valued judgement as to whether this constitutes a good use of funds.”

Mr Mackenzie said:“We aren’t going to give up.

“I’ve spoken to couples who are at the point of suicide and have bankrupted themselves trying to have a baby.

“This means so much to so many people.”

awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk