Health | Clinics under investigation for offering assisted reproductive services

Devices apprehended during the inspection

The Health Bureau (SSM) is investigating four private clinics on the suspicion that these clinical facilities have been offering assisted reproductive services, the bureau informed in a statement.

SSM informed that it was alerted through information on such services being available on the clinics’ webpages and hence conducted a surprise inspection of seven of these medical facilities.

In four of the cases, the presence of devices and medicines used for assisted reproduction was detected. This resulted in SSM deciding to conduct further investigations into such clinics and promising to cancel their licenses if it is proven that assisted reproduction  is being practiced at their facility.

SSM also informed that in one of the cases, the clinic refused to cooperate with the inspection and hence it was necessary for police authorities to intervene.

The health authority reaffirmed that there has been a Decree-law that regulates this matter since 1999, where the legal document clearly states some of the procedures advertised by these clinics are illegal.

Adding to this, the bureau also stated that currently there are no private clinics in Macau authorized to perform any procedures related to medically assisted procreation.

Citing the law, SSM recalls that “all health professionals and entities, whether natural or legal, covered by Decree-Law no. 84/90/M, who wish to provide health care using assisted reproduction technologies, must request a prior authorization from the Health Bureau,” adding that such techniques and procedures “can only be provided at the Conde de S Januário Hospital Center (CHCSJ) and at private health units with emergency, obstetrical and neonatal intensive care units.”

From the report of the SSM summarizing the investigations  the investigated clinics, it was possible to realize that “no biological material of fertility (embryos and gametes) was detected in any of the seven health services,” (Centro Medico Ever link de Macau, Macau Ivy Medical Center, AMBO Medical Center, New Hope Medical Center, Taivex Malo Day Hospital, Ai Wei Fu Medical Center and Cheang Kei Cheong Medical Clinic).

In the three clinics that are under further investigation, according to the SSM, “out-of-service assisted reproduction equipment as well as related objects and/or medicines,” were found, and the report also mentioned that the equipment, was “sealed by SSM and a notice was posted in the clinic stating that MAP-related services could not be provided.”

As for the Ai Wei Fu Medical Center, SSM stated that there “were detected problems related to medicine supply, including the presence of medicines of hospital exclusive use.” Besides the suspicion of illegal practice of assisted reproduction, there is also a suspicion of violation of Decree-Law no. 58/90/M on September 19, as well as the violation of the law of foreign trade due to suspicion of illegal medicine imports found.
In this case, SSM inspectors have immediately declared notice procedure due to the finding of a situation that constitute crime of compulsory declaration.

During a press conference held late in the evening on Monday,  SSM representatives said that the use of such techniques are prohibited as they  “involve ethical, legal, psychological, social and human issues. An inadequate provision of these [services] may incur several risks, including the eventual transmission of infectious diseases,” the bureau noted. RM