Queensland Health has visited all Monash IVF clinics across the state following a serious mix-up where a Brisbane patient was implanted with the wrong embryo. The incident, which occurred in 2023, led to the woman giving birth to a baby with no genetic relation to her.
The fertility company, Monash IVF, has attributed the error to human mistake. The issue came to light in February 2024 when the birth parents requested to transfer their remaining embryos to a different clinic. Upon discovering the error, Monash IVF reported the incident to regulators, including voluntarily notifying Queensland Health, which oversees assisted reproductive technology in the state under new laws passed last year.
Queensland Health representatives subsequently visited Monash IVF clinics to review the company’s policies and procedures. An early investigation suggests human error and a failure to follow proper procedures were the primary causes of the mix-up. However, the department has stated it will wait for the findings of an independent review.
Monash IVF has hired barrister Fiona McLeod SC to lead the review. A spokeswoman for the company explained that, despite having strict safety protocols in place, including multi-step identification processes, the error occurred due to human oversight. The company committed to updating stakeholders once the review is completed and assured it would implement any recommendations made.
While new laws passed in 2023 aimed to regulate the sector, sources indicate that the error would not have been prevented even if the regulations had been in effect at the time. The new laws, which include requirements for IVF providers to report errors like the wrong embryo implantation, will not take full effect until September this year.
The birth parents’ legal representatives have confirmed they are acting on behalf of the family but declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns during this challenging time.
The mistake has severely impacted Monash IVF’s financial performance, with the company’s stock price falling by a third, from $1.08 to 72 cents.
This incident follows other high-profile cases, including one where Queensland Fertility Group was accused of using the wrong sperm, which prompted the state’s health ombudsman to investigate the self-regulated IVF sector.
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