National review launched into IVF accreditation following second Monash embryo mix-up
A fertility-sector review has been launched following the latest Monash IVF embryo mix-up. (DrKontogianniIVF via pixabay)
In short:
Australia's health ministers have agreed to undertake a "rapid review" of the nation's fertility sector, with a view to creating an independent accreditation body.
The announcement follows revelations this week major fertility provider Monash IVF had again transferred the wrong embryo to a patient.
The federal health minister said the review would assess the benefits of a national approach to regulate the sector.
All Australian states and territories will undertake a review into the implementation of an independent verification body for fertility providers.
Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said health ministers met on Friday and agreed to a three-month rapid-review into the sector, which is currently accredited by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee.
"It simply doesn't pass the pub test that the people that provide the service are also the ones that determine who provides the service," she said.
Mary-Anne Thomas called for the review following a meeting of health ministers on Friday. (ABC News: Melissa Brown)
The announcement comes after two separate embryo mix-ups by Melbourne-based provider Monash IVF were revealed in a matter of months.
Following the meeting, Ms Thomas said her preference was for the immediate implementation of a regulator. This proposal was rejected by Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls.
Ministerial meetings by health ministers operate on a consensus, meaning all ministers must agree to make any changes nationally.
"I think it's concerning that there may well be further errors that we don't know about," she said.
"And that is because the body that currently accredits fertility care providers is made up of fertility care providers. that's why I find Queensland's position so perplexing."
Monash IVF revealed on Tuesday it had incorrectly transferred the wrong embryo to a patient.
This week, Monash IVF announced to the ASX it would conduct an internal investigation into an embryo mix-up at its Clayton laboratory in Melbourne's south-east earlier this month.
That announcement, which came months after the revelation another patient of Monash IVF in Brisbane gave birth to a stranger's baby in 2023, sparked calls for greater regulation of the field.
Monash IVF chief executive officer Michael Knaap also resigned earlier this week.
On Friday afternoon Mr Butler said he was "really worried about public confidence" in the sector, which he said needed greater transparency and independent accreditation for fertility service providers.
"We know that in the last full year there were dozens of breaches of the code of conduct but I don't know, as the federal health minister, what they were," he said.
"They are not reported, they are not disclosed."
Mark Butler has described the embryo mix-ups as "shocking" and "deeply distressing". (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)
He said health officials across the country would provide advice on whether Australia should move towards national regulations.
"There are essentially eight systems of regulation across the country," he said.
"It would take a bit of time to move to more national regulation.
"This is a big part of our society. We traditionally thought we had the world's best system but there's a lack of confidence right now that we as health ministers talked about today."
He said the review would focus on delivering more "independence and transparency around the accreditation of providers".
"We want some advice from our officials about whether in some future we would have more national regulation," he said.
"My third child is an IVF baby, I know the level of trust that families place in the sector to deliver them what feels like at the time, a miracle baby."
The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand said it welcomed the review.
"Currently, ART (assisted reproductive technology) and IVF services in Australia are governed by more than 40 separate pieces of legislation," a spokesperson said.
"This fragmented framework creates inconsistency, confusion, and gaps in oversight.
"[We have] long maintained that this is unsustainable."
The group said its "10-Year Fertility Roadmap" released last year advocated for turning the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee into an independent statutory authority.
"A nationally consistent approach to ART regulation would improve transparency, streamline governance, and enhance patient care across jurisdictions," the spokesperson said.