Former HEAL Fertility worker wanted over alleged sample mix-up cover-up

A former Malaysian employee of HEAL Fertility in Central is wanted by police after allegedly giving false information to conceal errors involving embryo biopsy specimens.

Police classified the case as fraud following a preliminary investigation and transferred it to the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau for follow-up.

The woman was responsible for extracting biopsy specimens from embryos before they were sent to the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s diagnostic center for genetic testing, according to reports.

Investigators suspect she made mistakes during the sampling process and later attempted to cover them up when interviewed by police in late July.

She left Hong Kong for Malaysia the day after giving a cautioned statement and subsequently resigned from the clinic. Police have placed her on a wanted list. The case is not believed to involve human embryo trafficking.

The investigation stems from two incidents in May involving nine embryo biopsy specimens sent by HEAL Fertility for testing. Eight were found not to match the intended parents.

Authorities stressed that the errors involved biopsy specimens rather than the embryos themselves, with no evidence that embryos had been mixed up or wrongly implanted.

The Department of Health found that the clinic had failed to report the incident within 24 hours of identifying it, as required under the code governing day procedure centers. It ordered the clinic to stop accepting new reproductive technology cases pending the investigation and the implementation of remedial safeguards.

The Council on Human Reproductive Technology also suspended 14 of the clinic’s 17 treatment services. Only three services, including the storage of gametes and embryos, may continue while the council and police investigations are under way.

HEAL Fertility earlier said it was deeply shocked by the incident and had established an internal investigation team to cooperate with the police inquiry.

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