Health authorities are investigating whether blood samples from pregnant women are being smuggled into Hong Kong for testing, with two laboratories being referred for follow-up action.
The Department of Health said on Wednesday that the case involved the suspected illegal importation of blood samples from mainland China for fetal gender testing.
It said it had notified mainland authorities about the case, which came to light after the department received media inquiries regarding social media promotions on arranging blood draws for pregnant mainland women.
“[The department] referred relevant information regarding the two laboratories in question to the Medical Laboratory Technologists Board for appropriate actions against the registered medical laboratory technologists concerned,” it said.
The department said the two laboratories in Hong Kong were NovaGene Diagnostic Laboratory Limited and Zentrogene Bioscience Laboratory Limited.
The board is a statutory body responsible for maintaining a register of medical lab technologists.
Under the law, lab technologists cannot perform tests for medical diagnosis or treatment without a referral from a registered medical practitioner or other specified healthcare professional.
Anyone who imports any excreta, secretion, blood or blood component that is suspected of containing an infectious agent without obtaining prior written permission from the department faces upon conviction a maximum penalty of two months’ imprisonment and a fine of HK$5,000 (US$640).
Mainland China currently bans fetal gender testing for non-medical purposes, prompting parents who want to know the gender of their babies in advance to seek out such services elsewhere.
The department’s investigation also found that the two labs had falsely claimed to be “medical laboratories accredited by the department” online.
“This information is false and misleading, as the department does not accredit any medical laboratories,” it said.
Separately, the department also found that two institutions – “Nova Medical” and “Hong Kong BOYA Medical Centre” – had neither applied for clinic licences nor letters of exemption for small practice clinics.
It also noted that the “Hong Kong BOYA Medical Centre” had claimed to be a registered medical clinic, but the facility was not registered under the Medical Clinics Ordinance.
It said it had referred the four cases to the Customs and Excise Department and requested the removal of all misleading statements.
It added that the adverts for other services on the relevant medical centres’ websites were also suspected of breaching the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance.
The department said it had issued warnings and ordered an immediate removal of the materials. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
