Latest news with #ReproductiveTechnologyAccreditationCommittee
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Fertility CEO resigns after embryo transferred to wrong patient in major bungle
Monash IVF CEO Michael Knaap resigned on June 12 just days after the fertility behemoth admitted to the transfer of the wrong embryo into a patient. The board accepted Mr Knaap's resignation just two months after a similar incident occurred at a Brisbane clinic. Monash IVF confirmed on June 10 that a patient was transferred her own embryo, rather than her partner's, at its Clayton clinic in Melbourne. Monash IVF believes the June 5 bungle will "fall within the scope of its insurance coverage" as insurers were notified. It comes two months after a Queensland woman gave birth to a stranger's child in an embryo mix-up at Monash IVF's Brisbane clinic. Monash IVF said in a statement to the ASX that an internal investigation would be conducted. The scope of an independent review into the Queensland mix-up, conducted by Fiona McLeod, would also be "extended", Monash IVF said. Additional processes would be put in place at Monash IVF to avoid a similar mistake, the clinic said. "Commencing immediately, Monash IVF will implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice and electronic witness systems, to ensure patients and clinicians have every confidence in its processes," the clinic said. "Whilst industry-leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remain instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required. "Monash IVF has disclosed the Incident to the relevant assisted reproductive technology (ART) regulators, namely the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and Victorian Health Regulator. The fertility clinic said it has "extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple". University of Melbourne associate professor Alex Polyakov, a medical director of Genea Fertility Melbourne, said Australia's assisted reproduction sector was internationally recognised for its "rigorous oversight". "The report of a second embryo transfer error is profoundly troubling and, while still extremely rare, shifts this issue from an isolated anomaly to one demanding broader reflection," he said. "IVF clinics operate within some of the most highly regulated and scrutinised environments in medicine. "Multiple safeguards, including dual verification and electronic tracking, exist at every step to prevent precisely this kind of error." Monash IVF CEO Michael Knaap resigned on June 12 just days after the fertility behemoth admitted to the transfer of the wrong embryo into a patient. The board accepted Mr Knaap's resignation just two months after a similar incident occurred at a Brisbane clinic. Monash IVF confirmed on June 10 that a patient was transferred her own embryo, rather than her partner's, at its Clayton clinic in Melbourne. Monash IVF believes the June 5 bungle will "fall within the scope of its insurance coverage" as insurers were notified. It comes two months after a Queensland woman gave birth to a stranger's child in an embryo mix-up at Monash IVF's Brisbane clinic. Monash IVF said in a statement to the ASX that an internal investigation would be conducted. The scope of an independent review into the Queensland mix-up, conducted by Fiona McLeod, would also be "extended", Monash IVF said. Additional processes would be put in place at Monash IVF to avoid a similar mistake, the clinic said. "Commencing immediately, Monash IVF will implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice and electronic witness systems, to ensure patients and clinicians have every confidence in its processes," the clinic said. "Whilst industry-leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remain instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required. "Monash IVF has disclosed the Incident to the relevant assisted reproductive technology (ART) regulators, namely the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and Victorian Health Regulator. The fertility clinic said it has "extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple". University of Melbourne associate professor Alex Polyakov, a medical director of Genea Fertility Melbourne, said Australia's assisted reproduction sector was internationally recognised for its "rigorous oversight". "The report of a second embryo transfer error is profoundly troubling and, while still extremely rare, shifts this issue from an isolated anomaly to one demanding broader reflection," he said. "IVF clinics operate within some of the most highly regulated and scrutinised environments in medicine. "Multiple safeguards, including dual verification and electronic tracking, exist at every step to prevent precisely this kind of error." Monash IVF CEO Michael Knaap resigned on June 12 just days after the fertility behemoth admitted to the transfer of the wrong embryo into a patient. The board accepted Mr Knaap's resignation just two months after a similar incident occurred at a Brisbane clinic. Monash IVF confirmed on June 10 that a patient was transferred her own embryo, rather than her partner's, at its Clayton clinic in Melbourne. Monash IVF believes the June 5 bungle will "fall within the scope of its insurance coverage" as insurers were notified. It comes two months after a Queensland woman gave birth to a stranger's child in an embryo mix-up at Monash IVF's Brisbane clinic. Monash IVF said in a statement to the ASX that an internal investigation would be conducted. The scope of an independent review into the Queensland mix-up, conducted by Fiona McLeod, would also be "extended", Monash IVF said. Additional processes would be put in place at Monash IVF to avoid a similar mistake, the clinic said. "Commencing immediately, Monash IVF will implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice and electronic witness systems, to ensure patients and clinicians have every confidence in its processes," the clinic said. "Whilst industry-leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remain instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required. "Monash IVF has disclosed the Incident to the relevant assisted reproductive technology (ART) regulators, namely the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and Victorian Health Regulator. The fertility clinic said it has "extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple". University of Melbourne associate professor Alex Polyakov, a medical director of Genea Fertility Melbourne, said Australia's assisted reproduction sector was internationally recognised for its "rigorous oversight". "The report of a second embryo transfer error is profoundly troubling and, while still extremely rare, shifts this issue from an isolated anomaly to one demanding broader reflection," he said. "IVF clinics operate within some of the most highly regulated and scrutinised environments in medicine. "Multiple safeguards, including dual verification and electronic tracking, exist at every step to prevent precisely this kind of error." Monash IVF CEO Michael Knaap resigned on June 12 just days after the fertility behemoth admitted to the transfer of the wrong embryo into a patient. The board accepted Mr Knaap's resignation just two months after a similar incident occurred at a Brisbane clinic. Monash IVF confirmed on June 10 that a patient was transferred her own embryo, rather than her partner's, at its Clayton clinic in Melbourne. Monash IVF believes the June 5 bungle will "fall within the scope of its insurance coverage" as insurers were notified. It comes two months after a Queensland woman gave birth to a stranger's child in an embryo mix-up at Monash IVF's Brisbane clinic. Monash IVF said in a statement to the ASX that an internal investigation would be conducted. The scope of an independent review into the Queensland mix-up, conducted by Fiona McLeod, would also be "extended", Monash IVF said. Additional processes would be put in place at Monash IVF to avoid a similar mistake, the clinic said. "Commencing immediately, Monash IVF will implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice and electronic witness systems, to ensure patients and clinicians have every confidence in its processes," the clinic said. "Whilst industry-leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remain instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required. "Monash IVF has disclosed the Incident to the relevant assisted reproductive technology (ART) regulators, namely the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and Victorian Health Regulator. The fertility clinic said it has "extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple". University of Melbourne associate professor Alex Polyakov, a medical director of Genea Fertility Melbourne, said Australia's assisted reproduction sector was internationally recognised for its "rigorous oversight". "The report of a second embryo transfer error is profoundly troubling and, while still extremely rare, shifts this issue from an isolated anomaly to one demanding broader reflection," he said. "IVF clinics operate within some of the most highly regulated and scrutinised environments in medicine. "Multiple safeguards, including dual verification and electronic tracking, exist at every step to prevent precisely this kind of error."
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Microscope on IVF giant over 'inexcusable' embryo error
A second embryo blunder from a major private fertility clinic has raised fresh fears about system flaws. Staff at a Monash IVF laboratory in Melbourne on Thursday transferred the wrong embryo to a woman, giving her one of her own rather than one from her partner, as they had requested. The pair is believed to be in a same-sex relationship. The company, which is based in Melbourne but has clinics around Australia, apologised to the couple and launched an internal investigation. But the Victorian Health Regulator has swooped in with its own probe of Monash IVF and how the error occurred at its Clayton site. State Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the mistake was "completely unacceptable" and the company must provide answers. "This will be quite devastating for the couple at the heart of this," she told reporters on Tuesday. "We all know that the IVF journey can be a very long, torturous one. It can be very expensive as well." In a notice to the stock market, Monash IVF said it would set up additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards. It has informed the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and insurers, declaring it expects the mix-up to fall within its insurance coverage. The company's profit guidance remains unchanged but the news sent its share price tumbling by more than 26 per cent to below 55 cents as of 3pm AEST. Monash IVF revealed in April a woman at a Brisbane facility had another patient's embryo incorrectly transferred to her because of "human error". The mistake was picked up in February after the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an extra embryo was found in storage. Monash IVF apologised, expressed confidence it was an isolated incident and hired leading barrister Fiona McLeod to lead an independent review, which has now been expanded. Alex Polyakov, a fertility specialist at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital, said the latest stuff-up was also likely because of human error. He said the mistake in Melbourne was easier to make than the one in Brisbane but equally serious. "You have the couple's names on every embryo," the Genea Fertility Melbourne medical director told AAP. "It's not just the patient or the egg provider, it's also their partner. "I could see how this would happen." About one in 18 babies is born via IVF in Australia. Associate Professor Polyakov said the two transfer errors were the first he was aware of in Australia since the IVF industry began operating 40 years ago, although there have been high-profile cases in the US and Israel. He called for more vigilance and extra layers of protection but conceded no system could be made foolproof from a "black swan event". Shine Lawyers medical law Victorian practice lead Daniel Opare said alarm bells should be ringing across the industry. Known errors disclosed by Monash IVF raise questions about potential issues at other clinics that do not have the same reporting obligations, the medical negligence expert argued. He said Monash IVF could be exposed to lawsuits for failing in its duty of care to the patient, on top of breach of contract if the couple signed an agreement setting out which embryo was due to be transferred. The two separate errors disclosed by Monash IVF were "up there in terms of severity" compared to other previously known industry errors, he said, including embryos being damaged after trays were dropped in laboratories. "It's inexcusable," Mr Opare told AAP. Pink Elephants support group founder Samantha Payne was concerned about the impact on other couples undergoing IVF and called for a wider discussion about how clinics are run. "You'd be terrified if you were going through a round of IVF now," she said. A second embryo blunder from a major private fertility clinic has raised fresh fears about system flaws. Staff at a Monash IVF laboratory in Melbourne on Thursday transferred the wrong embryo to a woman, giving her one of her own rather than one from her partner, as they had requested. The pair is believed to be in a same-sex relationship. The company, which is based in Melbourne but has clinics around Australia, apologised to the couple and launched an internal investigation. But the Victorian Health Regulator has swooped in with its own probe of Monash IVF and how the error occurred at its Clayton site. State Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the mistake was "completely unacceptable" and the company must provide answers. "This will be quite devastating for the couple at the heart of this," she told reporters on Tuesday. "We all know that the IVF journey can be a very long, torturous one. It can be very expensive as well." In a notice to the stock market, Monash IVF said it would set up additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards. It has informed the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and insurers, declaring it expects the mix-up to fall within its insurance coverage. The company's profit guidance remains unchanged but the news sent its share price tumbling by more than 26 per cent to below 55 cents as of 3pm AEST. Monash IVF revealed in April a woman at a Brisbane facility had another patient's embryo incorrectly transferred to her because of "human error". The mistake was picked up in February after the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an extra embryo was found in storage. Monash IVF apologised, expressed confidence it was an isolated incident and hired leading barrister Fiona McLeod to lead an independent review, which has now been expanded. Alex Polyakov, a fertility specialist at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital, said the latest stuff-up was also likely because of human error. He said the mistake in Melbourne was easier to make than the one in Brisbane but equally serious. "You have the couple's names on every embryo," the Genea Fertility Melbourne medical director told AAP. "It's not just the patient or the egg provider, it's also their partner. "I could see how this would happen." About one in 18 babies is born via IVF in Australia. Associate Professor Polyakov said the two transfer errors were the first he was aware of in Australia since the IVF industry began operating 40 years ago, although there have been high-profile cases in the US and Israel. He called for more vigilance and extra layers of protection but conceded no system could be made foolproof from a "black swan event". Shine Lawyers medical law Victorian practice lead Daniel Opare said alarm bells should be ringing across the industry. Known errors disclosed by Monash IVF raise questions about potential issues at other clinics that do not have the same reporting obligations, the medical negligence expert argued. He said Monash IVF could be exposed to lawsuits for failing in its duty of care to the patient, on top of breach of contract if the couple signed an agreement setting out which embryo was due to be transferred. The two separate errors disclosed by Monash IVF were "up there in terms of severity" compared to other previously known industry errors, he said, including embryos being damaged after trays were dropped in laboratories. "It's inexcusable," Mr Opare told AAP. Pink Elephants support group founder Samantha Payne was concerned about the impact on other couples undergoing IVF and called for a wider discussion about how clinics are run. "You'd be terrified if you were going through a round of IVF now," she said. A second embryo blunder from a major private fertility clinic has raised fresh fears about system flaws. Staff at a Monash IVF laboratory in Melbourne on Thursday transferred the wrong embryo to a woman, giving her one of her own rather than one from her partner, as they had requested. The pair is believed to be in a same-sex relationship. The company, which is based in Melbourne but has clinics around Australia, apologised to the couple and launched an internal investigation. But the Victorian Health Regulator has swooped in with its own probe of Monash IVF and how the error occurred at its Clayton site. State Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the mistake was "completely unacceptable" and the company must provide answers. "This will be quite devastating for the couple at the heart of this," she told reporters on Tuesday. "We all know that the IVF journey can be a very long, torturous one. It can be very expensive as well." In a notice to the stock market, Monash IVF said it would set up additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards. It has informed the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and insurers, declaring it expects the mix-up to fall within its insurance coverage. The company's profit guidance remains unchanged but the news sent its share price tumbling by more than 26 per cent to below 55 cents as of 3pm AEST. Monash IVF revealed in April a woman at a Brisbane facility had another patient's embryo incorrectly transferred to her because of "human error". The mistake was picked up in February after the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an extra embryo was found in storage. Monash IVF apologised, expressed confidence it was an isolated incident and hired leading barrister Fiona McLeod to lead an independent review, which has now been expanded. Alex Polyakov, a fertility specialist at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital, said the latest stuff-up was also likely because of human error. He said the mistake in Melbourne was easier to make than the one in Brisbane but equally serious. "You have the couple's names on every embryo," the Genea Fertility Melbourne medical director told AAP. "It's not just the patient or the egg provider, it's also their partner. "I could see how this would happen." About one in 18 babies is born via IVF in Australia. Associate Professor Polyakov said the two transfer errors were the first he was aware of in Australia since the IVF industry began operating 40 years ago, although there have been high-profile cases in the US and Israel. He called for more vigilance and extra layers of protection but conceded no system could be made foolproof from a "black swan event". Shine Lawyers medical law Victorian practice lead Daniel Opare said alarm bells should be ringing across the industry. Known errors disclosed by Monash IVF raise questions about potential issues at other clinics that do not have the same reporting obligations, the medical negligence expert argued. He said Monash IVF could be exposed to lawsuits for failing in its duty of care to the patient, on top of breach of contract if the couple signed an agreement setting out which embryo was due to be transferred. The two separate errors disclosed by Monash IVF were "up there in terms of severity" compared to other previously known industry errors, he said, including embryos being damaged after trays were dropped in laboratories. "It's inexcusable," Mr Opare told AAP. Pink Elephants support group founder Samantha Payne was concerned about the impact on other couples undergoing IVF and called for a wider discussion about how clinics are run. "You'd be terrified if you were going through a round of IVF now," she said. A second embryo blunder from a major private fertility clinic has raised fresh fears about system flaws. Staff at a Monash IVF laboratory in Melbourne on Thursday transferred the wrong embryo to a woman, giving her one of her own rather than one from her partner, as they had requested. The pair is believed to be in a same-sex relationship. The company, which is based in Melbourne but has clinics around Australia, apologised to the couple and launched an internal investigation. But the Victorian Health Regulator has swooped in with its own probe of Monash IVF and how the error occurred at its Clayton site. State Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the mistake was "completely unacceptable" and the company must provide answers. "This will be quite devastating for the couple at the heart of this," she told reporters on Tuesday. "We all know that the IVF journey can be a very long, torturous one. It can be very expensive as well." In a notice to the stock market, Monash IVF said it would set up additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards. It has informed the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and insurers, declaring it expects the mix-up to fall within its insurance coverage. The company's profit guidance remains unchanged but the news sent its share price tumbling by more than 26 per cent to below 55 cents as of 3pm AEST. Monash IVF revealed in April a woman at a Brisbane facility had another patient's embryo incorrectly transferred to her because of "human error". The mistake was picked up in February after the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an extra embryo was found in storage. Monash IVF apologised, expressed confidence it was an isolated incident and hired leading barrister Fiona McLeod to lead an independent review, which has now been expanded. Alex Polyakov, a fertility specialist at Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital, said the latest stuff-up was also likely because of human error. He said the mistake in Melbourne was easier to make than the one in Brisbane but equally serious. "You have the couple's names on every embryo," the Genea Fertility Melbourne medical director told AAP. "It's not just the patient or the egg provider, it's also their partner. "I could see how this would happen." About one in 18 babies is born via IVF in Australia. Associate Professor Polyakov said the two transfer errors were the first he was aware of in Australia since the IVF industry began operating 40 years ago, although there have been high-profile cases in the US and Israel. He called for more vigilance and extra layers of protection but conceded no system could be made foolproof from a "black swan event". Shine Lawyers medical law Victorian practice lead Daniel Opare said alarm bells should be ringing across the industry. Known errors disclosed by Monash IVF raise questions about potential issues at other clinics that do not have the same reporting obligations, the medical negligence expert argued. He said Monash IVF could be exposed to lawsuits for failing in its duty of care to the patient, on top of breach of contract if the couple signed an agreement setting out which embryo was due to be transferred. The two separate errors disclosed by Monash IVF were "up there in terms of severity" compared to other previously known industry errors, he said, including embryos being damaged after trays were dropped in laboratories. "It's inexcusable," Mr Opare told AAP. Pink Elephants support group founder Samantha Payne was concerned about the impact on other couples undergoing IVF and called for a wider discussion about how clinics are run. "You'd be terrified if you were going through a round of IVF now," she said.
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Monash IVF reveals second embryo mix-up after admitting to major accident just months earlier
Monash IVF has mistakenly transferred the wrong embryo into a patient in the second major incident for the company in about two months. On June 5 the Clayton fertility clinic, in Melbourne's south-east, accidentally put a patient's own embryo into a patient rather than an embryo from their partner as planned. "Monash IVF has extended its sincere apologies to the affected couple, and we continue to support them," the company said in a statement on the ASX on Tuesday. The company said it is conducting an internal investigation into the incident as it comes just months after it admitted one of its patients had given birth to a stranger's child in a shocking embryo mix-up that made headlines across the country. "Commencing immediately, Monash IVF will implement interim additional verification processes and patient confirmation safeguards over and above normal practice and electronic witness systems, to ensure patients and clinicians have every confidence in its processes," Monash IVF said. "Whilst industry leading electronic witness systems have and are being rolled out across Monash IVF, there remains instances and circumstances whereby manual witnessing is required. "Monash IVF has disclosed the incident to the relevant assisted reproductive technology (ART) regulators, namely the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee certifying body and Victorian Health Regulator." The company's share price has sunk more than 21 per cent, down to 59 cents, on Tuesday morning after revealing the news. More to come.
The Independent
14-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Woman gave birth to stranger's baby after IVF mix-up - could it happen again?
The news of a woman unknowingly giving birth to another patient's baby after an embryo mix-up at a Brisbane IVF lab has made headlines in Australia and around the world. The distress this incident will have caused to everyone involved is undoubtedly significant. A report released by Monash IVF, the company which operates the Brisbane clinic, states it 'adheres to strict laboratory safety measures (including multi-step identification processes) to safeguard and protect the embryos in its care'. It also says the company's own initial investigation concluded the incident was 'the result of human error'. An independent investigation will follow which presumably will shed light on how human error could occur when multi-step identification processes are in place. On a broader level, this incident raises questions about how common IVF errors are and to what extent they're preventable. The booming IVF industry Because people have children later in life than they used to, some struggle to conceive and turn to assisted reproductive technologies. These include in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) which both involve handling of sperm and eggs (gametes) in the laboratory to form embryos. If there's more than one embryo available after a treatment cycle, they can be frozen and stored for later use. Increasingly, assisted reproductive technologies are also being used by single women, same-sex couples, and women who freeze their eggs to preserve their fertility. For these reasons, the fertility industry is booming. In 2022 there were more than 100,000 assisted reproductive treatment cycles performed in Australian fertility clinics, up more than 25 per cent on the number of cycles performed in 2017. Regulation of the IVF industry In Australia, the IVF industry is more regulated than in many other parts of the world. To operate, clinics must be licensed by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee and adhere to its code of practice. In relation to storage and accurate identification of embryos, the code states clinics must provide evidence of the implementation and review of: 'Policies and procedures to identify when, how and by whom the identification, matching, and verification are recorded for gametes, embryos and patients at all stages of the treatment process including digital and manual record-keeping.' The code further states clinics must report serious adverse events to the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee. The list of what's considered a serious adverse event includes any incident that 'arises from a gamete or embryo identification mix up'. Clinics must also adhere to the National Health and Medical Research Council's ethical guidelines on the use of reproductive technology in clinical practice and research. Lastly, states and territories have laws that regulate aspects of the IVF industry, such as requirements to report adverse events and other data to state authorities. In the United Kingdom, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority regulates the IVF industry and requires clinics to report adverse incidents. These are reported as grade A, B or C, where A is the most serious and involves 'severe harm to one person, or major harm to many'. Data on adverse incidents is reported in a publicly available annual report. In the United States, however, the IVF industry is largely unregulated, and clinics don't have to report adverse incidents. However, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine states clinics should have rigorous procedures to prevent the loss, damage, or misdirection of gametes and embryos and have an ethical obligation to disclose errors to all impacted patients. How common are IVF errors? There's no global data on IVF errors so it's not possible to know how common they are. But we learn about some of the more serious incidents when they're reported in the media. While the recent embryo mix-up is the first known incident of this nature in Australia's 40-year IVF history, we have seen reports of other errors in Australian clinics. These include the alleged use of the wrong donor sperm, embryos being destroyed due to contamination, and inaccurate genetic testing which resulted in the destruction of potentially viable embryos. In the UK, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's most recent report states there was one Grade A incident in 2023–24. This was the first Grade A incident reported since 2019–20 when there were two. In the US, some notable errors include storage tank malfunctions in two clinics which destroyed thousands of eggs and embryos. Lawsuits have also been filed for embryo mix-ups. In a 2023 case, a woman from Georgia delivered a Black baby even though she and her sperm donor are both white. The biological parents subsequently demanded custody of the child. Despite wanting to raise him, the woman who had given birth gave up the five-month-old boy to avoid a legal fight she couldn't win, she said. In the US, some argue most errors go unreported because reporting is not mandated and due to the absence of meaningful regulation. Are IVF errors preventable? Despite Australia's stringent regulation and oversight of the IVF industry, an incident with far-reaching psychological and potentially legal consequences has occurred. Until the independent investigation reveals how 'human error' caused this mix-up, it's not possible to say what additional measures Monash IVF should take to ensure this never happens again. An IVF laboratory is a high-pressure environment, and any investigation should look at whether staffing levels are adequate. Staff training is also relevant, and it's essential all junior lab staff have adequate supervision. Finally, perhaps Australia should adopt the UK's model and make data about adverse events reported to the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee available to the public in an annual report. To reassure the public, this report could include what measures clinics take to avoid the errors happening again. Karin Hammarberg is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in Global and Women's Health, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine at Monash University.
The Guardian
10-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Woman gives birth to stranger's baby after IVF bungle in Brisbane
A woman has given birth to another person's baby after their fertility care provider mixed up their embryos. Monash IVF, which operates across Australia, has apologised after a patient at one of its Brisbane clinics had an embryo incorrectly transferred to her, meaning she gave birth to a child of another woman. The error was identified in February after the birth parents requested their remaining embryos to be transferred to another IVF provider. 'Instead of finding the expected number of embryos, an additional embryo remained in storage for the birth parents,' the company said in a statement. Monash IVF said an investigation confirmed an embryo from a different patient had been incorrectly thawed and transferred to the birth parents. It was blamed on human error. The birth parents were notified of the mistake within a week of the incident being discovered. Monash IVF chief executive, Michael Knaap, apologised for the bungle and said the company would continue to support the patients. 'All of us at Monash IVF are devastated and we apologise to everyone involved,' he said. 'We have undertaken additional audits and we're confident that this is an isolated incident.' The IVF provider asked Victorian senior counsel Fiona McLeod to investigate the incident and committed to implementing any recommendations in full. Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The incident was reported to the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee, the Queensland assisted reproductive technology regulator. Monash IVF reached a $56m settlement with more than 700 former patients in August after it allegedly destroyed embryos during faulty genetic screening. The class action claimed about 35% of embryos found to be abnormal through the fertility provider's flawed genetic testing were normal. Monash IVF Group confirmed it had reached the settlement through mediation but noted it had made no admission of liability.
