Monash IVF has declined to disclose whether the employee reportedly involved in the error that resulted in a woman from Brisbane giving birth to another couple’s child is still employed by the organization.
The company has attributed the incident to “human error,” stating that it occurred in 2023; however, it has not verified if the individual in question has been terminated.
The provider has also not confirmed whether the staff member only worked at the Brisbane clinic or across other sites in Queensland.
A spokesperson from Monash IVF mentioned that an immediate investigation was initiated by the company, concluding that stringent laboratory protocols were adhered to in order to protect the embryos.
“Instead of finding the expected number of embryos, an additional embryo remained in storage for the birth parents,” a Monash IVF spokesperson said last week.
“The investigation confirmed that an embryo from a different patient had previously been incorrectly thawed and transferred to the birth parents, which resulted in the birth of a child.”
Chief executive Michael Knaap said last week the clinic was supporting both families involved.
”On behalf of Monash IVF, I want to say how truly sorry I am for what has happened,” he said.
“All of us at Monash IVF are devastated and we apologise to everyone involved.
“We will continue to support the patients through this extremely distressing time.
“Since becoming aware of this incident, we have undertaken additional audits and we’re confident that this is an isolated incident.”
An independent investigation into the incident has also been commissioned by Monash IVF.
