A private medical centre in Singapore is under investigation after a mix-up during IVF treatment resulted in the birth of a child conceived with the wrong sperm.
The discovery was made after the couple involved were told their child's blood group, B, was not a possible outcome of the combination of their own blood types - O and A. A subsequent DNA test showed the baby carried the mother's DNA but not the believed father's.
Dr Cheng Li Chang, the medical director of Thomson Fertility Centre, which operates the clinic where the couple received treatment, said: 'We fully empathise with the couple, and are very sorry and distressed over what has happened'. He added: 'In our 22 years of operation this is the first such incident and we are taking this very seriously'.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has begun a full investigation into the cause of the problem. Its audits have revealed there are shortcomings in the centre's current processes, including lab personnel handling more than one specimen at a time which may increase the risk of mix-ups. The MOH has instructed the centre to suspend all new assisted reproduction treatment and to stop admitting new patients. Existing patients will have the choice to continue treatment at the centre or transfer to another.
Sources and References
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Singapore medical centre in IVF sperm mix-up
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Singapore IVF baby does not have DNA of 'father': lawyer
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We're sorry
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Thomson Fertility Centre ordered to stop all new procedures
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Thomson Medical suspended from new assisted reproduction activities
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