Monash IVF has refused to reveal whether the staffer allegedly behind the mix-up that led to a Brisbane woman giving birth to another couple’s baby is still working for the company.
The company has blamed “human error” for the mistake, which is understood to have happened in 2023, but has not confirmed whether the staff member has left the clinic.
The provider has also not confirmed whether the staff member only worked at the Brisbane clinic or across other sites in Queensland.
The secrecy adding to concerns for existing patients who watched on as the IVF bungle made headlines.
The mistake was the first time in Australia that the wrong embryo has mistakenly been transplanted into another woman.
The fertility company was alerted to the mistake in February when the birth parents requested to transfer their remaining frozen embryos to another provider.
A Monash IVF spokesperson said the company immediately launched an investigation, which found strict laboratory safety measures to safeguard the embryos were followed.
“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.
