Council on Human Reproductive Technology Suspends Most Reproductive Technology Procedures of "Heal Fertility Limited"

Council on Human Reproductive Technology suspends most reproductive technology procedures of "Heal Fertility Limited"

The following is issued on behalf of the Council on Human Reproductive Technology (Council):

The Council convened a special meeting today (July 7) to discuss an incident involving a mix-up in embryo biopsy specimens at a licensed human reproductive technology centre in Central, "Heal Fertility Limited" (Heal Fertility). The Council passed a resolution to vary the treatment licence of the licensee, suspending 14 treatment services out of 17 that can be provided. The premises can continue to provide three services, including the storage services for gametes or embryos, until the Council and the Police complete their investigation.

Heal Fertility Limited, Photo source: online image

The Council received notifications on June 17 separately from Heal Fertility and the Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis Centre of the Chinese University of Hong Kong at the Prince of Wales Hospital (diagnosis centre), which provides laboratory testing services for Heal Fertility, that embryo biopsy specimens sent by Heal Fertility to the diagnosis centre for genetic testing are suspected to be replaced by other embryo biopsy specimens. The diagnosis centre discovered the mistake in time during the genetic testing process.

The Council immediately set up an investigation committee on June 18, and assigned a clinical embryologist under the support of the Council's secretariat staff to conduct a surprise investigation at Heal Fertility, followed by two follow-up on site investigation. Based on information gathered from the investigation, Heal Fertility was suspected of having contravened the requirements under the Code of Practice on Reproductive Technology and Embryo Research, as well as other statutory requirements. The Council subsequently reported the incident to the Department of Health and the Police on July 3 and 6 respectively.

According to the information provided by Heal Fertility, parentage had been established through testing between the two couples involved in the incident and the embryos stored at Heal Fertility, indicating no mix-up in the embryos. The incident involved a mix-up in the biopsy specimens sent for testing, and there is currently no evidence to suggest that any embryos had been mixed up or wrongly implanted into human body.

Initial findings suggested that incident may be caused by human factor. Heal Fertility, while co-operating with the Council's investigation, has implemented measures to enhance access control on handling of embryo and specimens on the premises.

To protect all clients who have undergone reproductive treatment at Heal Fertility, the Council has also required the licensee:

• to contact and notify all clients who have undergone reproductive treatment there regarding the latest developments in the incident, and to follow up as requested;

• to provide free preimplantation genetic testing, free parental testing and free counseling to clients in need;

• to establish a hotline (Tel: 3703 3608) to respond to relevant inquiries from service recipients; and

• if the suspension of treatment services affects its service recipients, Heal Fertility must notify the Council to seek further instructions.

The Secretariat for Council has also set up a hotline (2125 1188) for public inquiries. The hotline will operate from 9am to 11pm starting today, and from 9am to 9pm daily starting tomorrow, until further notice.

According to the Human Reproductive Technology Ordinance (Cap. 561) (Ordinance), healthcare institutions providing reproductive technology procedures must hold licences issued by the Council. Currently, a total of 13 public and 21 private healthcare institutions have been licensed by the Council (including 15 artificial insemination by husband licences and 19 treatment licences).

The Council will send a letter to all other licensees in Hong Kong who provide reproductive technology procedures, reminding them to strictly comply with the licensing requirements regarding the handling of embryos used in reproductive technology procedures.

The Council, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, will continue follow-ups on the incident seriously and take appropriate actions. The Council is committed to ensuring that all parents seeking reproductive technology procedures can continue to receive safe and high-quality services.

Established in 2001 under the Human Reproductive Technology Ordinance, the Council is tasked with regulating reproductive technology activities, including regulating the provision of reproductive technology procedures and embryo research, in Hong Kong through a licensing system, and formulating the Code of Practice for the relevant sectors.

Heal Fertility Limited, Photo source: online image

Online auction of vehicle registration marks to be held from July 23 to 27

The Transport Department (TD) today (July 8) said that the next online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) will be held from noon on July 23 (Thursday) to noon on July 27 (Monday) through the auction platform E-Auction (e-auction.td.gov.hk). Interested bidders can participate in the online auction only after they have successfully registered as E-Auction users.

A spokesman for the TD said, "A total of 220 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve an Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with 'HK' or 'XX' as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged."

Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:

(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by "iAM Smart+" equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered "iAM Smart" users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not "iAM Smart" users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.

(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using "iAM Smart+" or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.

(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.

(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:

• completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale); and
• making the auction payment online by credit card, Faster Payment System (FPS) or Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Cheque or cash payment is not accepted in the E-Auction.

(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.

The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries.

Source: AI-found images