IVF clinic admits destroying sperm
Health officials in Wales have apologised after patients' frozen sperm samples were accidentally destroyed by a member of staff at the IVF Wales fertility clinicResignations
Two senior IVF Wales staff resigned after samples from three people who were patients between 1988 and 1998 were affected in March this year.
Not harmed
However Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said the ability of the patients to become parents was not harmed.
Improved procedures
The health board hosts the IVF Wales clinic and said it had learned lessons and was working to improve procedures. The Welsh government has urged the board to take urgent action.
HFEA report
The concerns were highlighted in a report by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
Two incidents
In the first case, a staff member was told to transfer samples, (including some from cancer patients) from old storage units to a new container. The member of staff found unlabelled straws at the bottom of a tank and disposed of them without telling anyone in charge.
In a second incident, donor sperm was given to some women before the test results had come back for sexually transmitted diseases. However, the report said the results had since proved negative.
Action aganist clinic
The HFEA said the matters were investigated and conditions were issued against the clinic's licence, reducing the number of cycles of treatment it can carry out.
Welsh government
The Welsh government said: "Whilst this is an operational matter for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, we are concerned about the findings of the report. "We expect them to continue to take urgent action to address the areas highlighted."
Conservative health spokesman Darren Millar said: "This is another incredibly serious incident at the unit in question and it requires urgent answers, both from the health board and the minister. "It is deplorable that the full extent of this dreadful mistake is not yet known. "The impact on families will be enormous and it is only right that those affected are spoken to as soon as possible."
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