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The Rotunda Hospital’s Hari unit has overseen the birth of 4,000 babies since it opened under the guidance of Robert Harrison, the father of Irish IVF. But the State could do more to help couples who have difficulty conceiving, writes RÓISÍN INGLE

EVERY INCH of one corridor in the infertility clinic behind the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin is covered with photographs of babies and toddlers who were conceived on the premises. Understandably, some patients find the beautiful-baby display at the Human Assisted Reproduction Ireland (Hari) unit difficult to stomach. For an estimated one in six people in this country, conceiving a baby does not come naturally. Couples who attend the unit have often been striving for years to live the dream that decorates these walls.