Latest news with #Mary-AnneThomas
AU Financial Review
31-07-2025
- Health
- AU Financial Review
Lib leader's wife hits back at ‘gossip' on her ‘teenaged private life'
Victorian deputy Liberal leader Sam Groth has threatened to sue Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas over remarks she made after a report that the former tennis star says is a serious invasion of privacy. Groth launched legal action against the Herald Sun after the newspaper published a story suggesting his relationship with his wife, Brittany Groth, began when she was under 18.
The Age
17-06-2025
- Health
- The Age
Trust in IVF is broken – it must be restored
The fertility industry in Australia is big business. Its annual revenue is $800 million. The two largest IVF companies, Virtus Health and Monash IVF, make more than half that money, revenue built on people's dreams and desperate hopes. The financial and emotional investment in making a dream of bringing a child into the world a reality is profound. IVF providers are often the last resort for aspiring parents when nature seems to have conspired against them. They are the facilitators of that hope. Patients put their trust in them. It should never be broken. And yet, as recent news reports and developments have shown, it is. This is unconscionable. This is human life after all. An error in the delivery of this precious gift is devastatingly traumatic to those involved. The Age has recently reported on two incidents involving Monash IVF. In one, a woman received the wrong embryo at its Clayton clinic in June, and in 2023 at its Brisbane facility, an embryo transfer error led to a Queensland woman giving birth to a stranger's baby. A few years earlier, Monash paid $56 million in compensation to settle a class action involving 700 families affected in a bungled genetic testing program. The error might have caused healthy embryos to be tossed out. Monash chief executive Michael Knaap resigned this month. Loading Australia's health ministers agreed last week to a three-month review to look into the best model for an independent accreditation body to oversee the assisted reproductive technology sector. The states' health secretaries will also examine a possible realignment of the state-based regulators, their axing for a national regulator, and if registration requirements should be extended to embryologists and scientists involved in fertility processes. The Age welcomes these developments. At present, the industry operates under a self-accreditation and licensing system under the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee. Queensland is the only state not to endorse a national body, having only recently adopted a regulation scheme. Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said last week that the present system was not working. 'It simply doesn't pass the pub test that the people that provide the service are also the ones that determine who provides the service,' she said. It is equally troubling that, as Thomas conceded, the errors that are made public may represent only a percentage of the true figure of fertility patient complications across the industry. 'I think it's concerning that, in fact, there may well be more errors that we don't know about, and that is because the body that currently accredits fertility care providers is made up of fertility care providers,' she said.
The Advertiser
13-06-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
IVF system fails to pass the pub test, minister says
Australia's IVF accreditation system fails to pass the pub test, a government minister has said, as discussions continue following multiple embryo mix-ups at one of the nation's largest fertility providers. State and territory health ministers met with their federal counterpart on Friday, where it was agreed that a rapid nationwide review would begin to consider establishing an independent accreditation body. It comes after Monash IVF revealed staff had transferred the wrong embryo to a woman at a Melbourne clinic last week, following a similar blunder involving a separate Monash patient in Brisbane. Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said she hoped the establishment of an independent body could occur immediately, but claimed it was met with pushback from Queensland. "We got to move quickly," she told reporters. "It's concerning ... there may well be more errors that we don't know about. And that is because the body that currently accredits fertility care providers is made up of fertility care providers. "That's why I find Queensland's position so perplexing." A spokesman for Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the minister had "advocated for an informed understanding" of the accreditation and regulation framework. "Health ministers decided that Queensland would lead work to understand the issues better and to ensure a strategy would be well informed," the spokesman said. The three-month review will consider whether the state regulatory schemes are fit for purpose when it comes to safety and quality. The IVF industry is primarily regulated by states and territories. Clinics must be licensed to operate by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Thomas said the main issue for her was how fertility care was accredited. "It simply doesn't pass the pub test that the people that provide the service are also the ones that determine who provides the service," she said. "We have work to do there." Federal Health Minister Mark Butler, who used IVF to welcome his third child, described the two recent embryo mix-ups as "frankly shocking". "As governments, we've got a responsibility to see whether there are better levels of regulation that should be put in place, and to inject some confidence back into a system that delivers such joy to so many thousands of families every year," he told ABC Radio. Monash IVF chief executive Michael Knaap resigned on Thursday after it was revealed staff at a Melbourne laboratory gave a patient one of her embryos, instead of one from her partner as intended. An investigation is under way into how it happened. The company, which has a presence across Australia, apologised to the couple, while the Victorian Health Regulator has also launched an investigation. Monash revealed in April that a woman at a Brisbane facility was incorrectly impregnated with another patient's embryo, which was blamed on "human error". The mistake was picked up after the child was born when the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an additional embryo was unexpectedly found in storage. Former Monash director Gab Kovacs, who was involved with developing earlier IVF guidelines, told AAP the mix-up was a "very rare occurrence". "However, with 100,000 cycles of IVF in Australia, even with this occurring very, very rarely, it is inevitable that this will happen," Mr Kovacs said. "It is due to human error and this cannot be eliminated. "The two incidents happened in two separate clinics, 2000km apart ... (involving) different personnel, different lab managers." About 20,000 babies conceived by IVF are born in Australia each year. Australia's IVF accreditation system fails to pass the pub test, a government minister has said, as discussions continue following multiple embryo mix-ups at one of the nation's largest fertility providers. State and territory health ministers met with their federal counterpart on Friday, where it was agreed that a rapid nationwide review would begin to consider establishing an independent accreditation body. It comes after Monash IVF revealed staff had transferred the wrong embryo to a woman at a Melbourne clinic last week, following a similar blunder involving a separate Monash patient in Brisbane. Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said she hoped the establishment of an independent body could occur immediately, but claimed it was met with pushback from Queensland. "We got to move quickly," she told reporters. "It's concerning ... there may well be more errors that we don't know about. And that is because the body that currently accredits fertility care providers is made up of fertility care providers. "That's why I find Queensland's position so perplexing." A spokesman for Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the minister had "advocated for an informed understanding" of the accreditation and regulation framework. "Health ministers decided that Queensland would lead work to understand the issues better and to ensure a strategy would be well informed," the spokesman said. The three-month review will consider whether the state regulatory schemes are fit for purpose when it comes to safety and quality. The IVF industry is primarily regulated by states and territories. Clinics must be licensed to operate by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Thomas said the main issue for her was how fertility care was accredited. "It simply doesn't pass the pub test that the people that provide the service are also the ones that determine who provides the service," she said. "We have work to do there." Federal Health Minister Mark Butler, who used IVF to welcome his third child, described the two recent embryo mix-ups as "frankly shocking". "As governments, we've got a responsibility to see whether there are better levels of regulation that should be put in place, and to inject some confidence back into a system that delivers such joy to so many thousands of families every year," he told ABC Radio. Monash IVF chief executive Michael Knaap resigned on Thursday after it was revealed staff at a Melbourne laboratory gave a patient one of her embryos, instead of one from her partner as intended. An investigation is under way into how it happened. The company, which has a presence across Australia, apologised to the couple, while the Victorian Health Regulator has also launched an investigation. Monash revealed in April that a woman at a Brisbane facility was incorrectly impregnated with another patient's embryo, which was blamed on "human error". The mistake was picked up after the child was born when the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an additional embryo was unexpectedly found in storage. Former Monash director Gab Kovacs, who was involved with developing earlier IVF guidelines, told AAP the mix-up was a "very rare occurrence". "However, with 100,000 cycles of IVF in Australia, even with this occurring very, very rarely, it is inevitable that this will happen," Mr Kovacs said. "It is due to human error and this cannot be eliminated. "The two incidents happened in two separate clinics, 2000km apart ... (involving) different personnel, different lab managers." About 20,000 babies conceived by IVF are born in Australia each year. Australia's IVF accreditation system fails to pass the pub test, a government minister has said, as discussions continue following multiple embryo mix-ups at one of the nation's largest fertility providers. State and territory health ministers met with their federal counterpart on Friday, where it was agreed that a rapid nationwide review would begin to consider establishing an independent accreditation body. It comes after Monash IVF revealed staff had transferred the wrong embryo to a woman at a Melbourne clinic last week, following a similar blunder involving a separate Monash patient in Brisbane. Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said she hoped the establishment of an independent body could occur immediately, but claimed it was met with pushback from Queensland. "We got to move quickly," she told reporters. "It's concerning ... there may well be more errors that we don't know about. And that is because the body that currently accredits fertility care providers is made up of fertility care providers. "That's why I find Queensland's position so perplexing." A spokesman for Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the minister had "advocated for an informed understanding" of the accreditation and regulation framework. "Health ministers decided that Queensland would lead work to understand the issues better and to ensure a strategy would be well informed," the spokesman said. The three-month review will consider whether the state regulatory schemes are fit for purpose when it comes to safety and quality. The IVF industry is primarily regulated by states and territories. Clinics must be licensed to operate by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Thomas said the main issue for her was how fertility care was accredited. "It simply doesn't pass the pub test that the people that provide the service are also the ones that determine who provides the service," she said. "We have work to do there." Federal Health Minister Mark Butler, who used IVF to welcome his third child, described the two recent embryo mix-ups as "frankly shocking". "As governments, we've got a responsibility to see whether there are better levels of regulation that should be put in place, and to inject some confidence back into a system that delivers such joy to so many thousands of families every year," he told ABC Radio. Monash IVF chief executive Michael Knaap resigned on Thursday after it was revealed staff at a Melbourne laboratory gave a patient one of her embryos, instead of one from her partner as intended. An investigation is under way into how it happened. The company, which has a presence across Australia, apologised to the couple, while the Victorian Health Regulator has also launched an investigation. Monash revealed in April that a woman at a Brisbane facility was incorrectly impregnated with another patient's embryo, which was blamed on "human error". The mistake was picked up after the child was born when the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an additional embryo was unexpectedly found in storage. Former Monash director Gab Kovacs, who was involved with developing earlier IVF guidelines, told AAP the mix-up was a "very rare occurrence". "However, with 100,000 cycles of IVF in Australia, even with this occurring very, very rarely, it is inevitable that this will happen," Mr Kovacs said. "It is due to human error and this cannot be eliminated. "The two incidents happened in two separate clinics, 2000km apart ... (involving) different personnel, different lab managers." About 20,000 babies conceived by IVF are born in Australia each year. Australia's IVF accreditation system fails to pass the pub test, a government minister has said, as discussions continue following multiple embryo mix-ups at one of the nation's largest fertility providers. State and territory health ministers met with their federal counterpart on Friday, where it was agreed that a rapid nationwide review would begin to consider establishing an independent accreditation body. It comes after Monash IVF revealed staff had transferred the wrong embryo to a woman at a Melbourne clinic last week, following a similar blunder involving a separate Monash patient in Brisbane. Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said she hoped the establishment of an independent body could occur immediately, but claimed it was met with pushback from Queensland. "We got to move quickly," she told reporters. "It's concerning ... there may well be more errors that we don't know about. And that is because the body that currently accredits fertility care providers is made up of fertility care providers. "That's why I find Queensland's position so perplexing." A spokesman for Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the minister had "advocated for an informed understanding" of the accreditation and regulation framework. "Health ministers decided that Queensland would lead work to understand the issues better and to ensure a strategy would be well informed," the spokesman said. The three-month review will consider whether the state regulatory schemes are fit for purpose when it comes to safety and quality. The IVF industry is primarily regulated by states and territories. Clinics must be licensed to operate by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Thomas said the main issue for her was how fertility care was accredited. "It simply doesn't pass the pub test that the people that provide the service are also the ones that determine who provides the service," she said. "We have work to do there." Federal Health Minister Mark Butler, who used IVF to welcome his third child, described the two recent embryo mix-ups as "frankly shocking". "As governments, we've got a responsibility to see whether there are better levels of regulation that should be put in place, and to inject some confidence back into a system that delivers such joy to so many thousands of families every year," he told ABC Radio. Monash IVF chief executive Michael Knaap resigned on Thursday after it was revealed staff at a Melbourne laboratory gave a patient one of her embryos, instead of one from her partner as intended. An investigation is under way into how it happened. The company, which has a presence across Australia, apologised to the couple, while the Victorian Health Regulator has also launched an investigation. Monash revealed in April that a woman at a Brisbane facility was incorrectly impregnated with another patient's embryo, which was blamed on "human error". The mistake was picked up after the child was born when the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an additional embryo was unexpectedly found in storage. Former Monash director Gab Kovacs, who was involved with developing earlier IVF guidelines, told AAP the mix-up was a "very rare occurrence". "However, with 100,000 cycles of IVF in Australia, even with this occurring very, very rarely, it is inevitable that this will happen," Mr Kovacs said. "It is due to human error and this cannot be eliminated. "The two incidents happened in two separate clinics, 2000km apart ... (involving) different personnel, different lab managers." About 20,000 babies conceived by IVF are born in Australia each year.
The Age
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
The collateral damage from Monash IVF's colossal embryo bungles
The next part of the script unusually involves activists calling for enhanced regulation or better laws. Advocates are also lobbying for all those who use assisted reproductive technology to have their babies DNA tested, which, if implemented, could uncover if other mistakes have gone undetected. And no scandal is complete without a politician or two making some hay by grabbing a microphone and castigating the culprits. Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas was the first to step up this week, calling the embryo mix-up 'completely unacceptable'. 'It's very clear to me that the board of Monash IVF needs to have a very good look at what's going on,' Thomas said. Loading 'Clearly their clinical governance standards are not what they should be.' But amid the outrage there is another group that will also sustain collateral damage – the shareholders – although sympathy for this group will be way more muted. They have seen the share price of Monash IVF plunge after the first incident was revealed in April and after the company cut its 2025 full-year profit guidance by 11 per cent. It took another dive this week when the second implant bungle was revealed, taking this calendar year's stock performance down by 50 per cent. The shares kicked up by 5.7 per cent on Thursday on the news of the departing chief, but this represents a small recovery. Enter the investment bank analysts who use their sophisticated models to provide commentary on the impacts of these types of events on a company's market share and future earnings. In the case of Monash, their opinions run the gamut of possibilities. RBC Capital markets suggests that the fallout from the original bungle in Monash's Queensland clinic would confine the loss of market share to that state, and not impact too heavily on other state operations. But given there have now been two separate embryo transfer incidents in different states, it believes there is risk of a greater impact of a spread of reputational damage and market share losses. It has a negative stance on the stock. Macquarie Equities has a somewhat different view. It acknowledges the reputational damage, but says the stock is oversold and represents a good buying opportunity. You could characterise its advice as 'don't throw the baby out with the bathwater'.
Sydney Morning Herald
12-06-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The collateral damage from Monash IVF's colossal embryo bungles
The next part of the script unusually involves activists calling for enhanced regulation or better laws. Advocates are also lobbying for all those who use assisted reproductive technology to have their babies DNA tested, which, if implemented, could uncover if other mistakes have gone undetected. And no scandal is complete without a politician or two making some hay by grabbing a microphone and castigating the culprits. Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas was the first to step up this week, calling the embryo mix-up 'completely unacceptable'. 'It's very clear to me that the board of Monash IVF needs to have a very good look at what's going on,' Thomas said. Loading 'Clearly their clinical governance standards are not what they should be.' But amid the outrage there is another group that will also sustain collateral damage – the shareholders – although sympathy for this group will be way more muted. They have seen the share price of Monash IVF plunge after the first incident was revealed in April and after the company cut its 2025 full-year profit guidance by 11 per cent. It took another dive this week when the second implant bungle was revealed, taking this calendar year's stock performance down by 50 per cent. The shares kicked up by 5.7 per cent on Thursday on the news of the departing chief, but this represents a small recovery. Enter the investment bank analysts who use their sophisticated models to provide commentary on the impacts of these types of events on a company's market share and future earnings. In the case of Monash, their opinions run the gamut of possibilities. RBC Capital markets suggests that the fallout from the original bungle in Monash's Queensland clinic would confine the loss of market share to that state, and not impact too heavily on other state operations. But given there have now been two separate embryo transfer incidents in different states, it believes there is risk of a greater impact of a spread of reputational damage and market share losses. It has a negative stance on the stock. Macquarie Equities has a somewhat different view. It acknowledges the reputational damage, but says the stock is oversold and represents a good buying opportunity. You could characterise its advice as 'don't throw the baby out with the bathwater'.
