At the end of a series of consultations with professionals as well as the consultation that took place yesterday (Monday) with representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the management of the Ministry of Health decided not to oblige parents who were treated at the fertility unit in Assuta Rishon Lezion to perform a test to identify a genetic link to their fetuses.
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Since the failure that occurred in the Asuta Rishon Lezion fertility unit was discovered, three different teams have conducted tests to locate female patients and/or couples who are more likely to be related to the incident. The Ministry of Health instructed the Assuta management to inform the patients and/or the couples found in these tests about this within a short time, and they will be invited by Assuta for a conversation in which they will be presented with all the options available to them.
In accordance with the decision of the Ministry of Health, the patients and/or the relevant couples will not be required to perform a test to detect a genetic link, but they will be able to request the performance of this type of test, as much as they wish. As already reported in Doctors Only, almost 1,000 patients in the department signed a petition to carry out genetic tests on a newborn baby.
Patients and/or couples who are already pregnant, as well as those who have already had a child and would like to perform a test, will be required by law to obtain prior approval from the court in order to perform the test. Regarding patients and/or couples whose embryos have not yet been returned, the state examines whether there is legal authority to allow them to perform the test to identify a genetic link without seeking the approval of the court. A decision on the issue will be made this week.
It was also decided at the Ministry of Health that the inspection committee established by the Public Acceptance Commissioner for the medical professions, Dr. Baez Lev, will continue to carry out a comprehensive inspection aimed at locating the source of the error that caused the incorrect transfer of the embryos.