Hong Kong authorities are investigating a human reproductive medical centre after it allegedly sent the wrong embryo specimens from two couples for DNA testing, the city’s health minister has said.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau told the press on Wednesday that the authorities had reported the incidents at Heal Fertility Centre to the police. Heal Fertility Centre in Central. Photo: Heal Fertility Centre. The Council on Human Reproductive Technology said on Tuesday evening that Heal Fertility Centre in Central had sent the wrong embryo specimens to the Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis Centre at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) for DNA testing.
The DNA testing allows couples undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) to check whether their embryos have chromosomal abnormalities before being implanted in the uterus.
Both incidents occurred in May, said William Yeung, a member of the council’s inspection committee.
In one case, six out of the seven embryo specimens sent for testing did not belong to the purported parents. In the other case, neither of the two embryo specimens belonged to the purported parents.
However, the council was only notified of the mix-ups on June 17, and it reported the case to the Department of Health on July 3 after multiple inspections of the clinic.
The Department of Health said the clinic had violated the Code of Practice of the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance by not reporting the incident within 24 hours of identification. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau meets the press. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The council said it had ordered the clinic to suspend all fertility services.
Yeung said that, according to information provided by the clinic, the incidents involved a mix-up of biopsy specimens sent for laboratory testing. No actual embryos were mixed up, and none were incorrectly implanted into any patients.
However, the council said it could not rule out the possibility of human error or criminal elements in the incidents.
The health minister said on Wednesday that he considered the incidents unusual because dual supervision is required for biopsy handling in IVF procedures. In addition to the operator, a supervisor must be present on site, and the specimens must be signed off and confirmed by both technicians simultaneously.
Free DNA tests for infants already born
In a press release on Wednesday, Heal Fertility Centre said that it had already suspended all fertility treatment services and would provide counselling for the two affected couples.
It also said it had contacted all current and past patients to provide free consultations, counselling and genetic matching. Assisted Reproductive Technology Unit (IVFHK) at Prince of Wales Hospital. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “For infants previously born through reproductive medical services at the Centre, genetic
identification testing will be provided at no costs if required,” the statement read.
The clinic said it had performed genetic re-verification for all patients who had sent biopsy specimens for DNA testing since January, and no irregularities had been found.
It did not explain why it delayed reporting the incident to the relevant authorities.