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RTAC: Smooth progress with new CoP
The revised Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee’s (RTAC) Code of Practice is now in place in Australian and New Zealand units, which are being audited in-house after disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
RTAC Chair, Dr Chris Copeland, said several small matters raised by some units about the revised code had been quickly resolved and no major issues had arisen.
The RTAC International Code of Practice is currently under review as the standard against which assisted reproductive technology units in countries beyond Australia and NZ are audited.
As part of this process, international licensees of ART units have been asked for feedback on the existing code. They include Australian entities that have units in other countries.
“I am aiming to collate all responses to the existing international code in the coming months with a view to circulating a revised code in draft format prior to Christmas,” Chris explained.
“Unfortunately, auditing of overseas units operating under the International Code of Practice has not yet returned to normal because of COVID complications. As a result, remote auditing continues.”
Meanwhile, a new RTAC Technical Bulletin is being prepared relating to the transport of frozen embryos and gametes between units, particularly where travel time exceeds 24 hours.
“The need for this bulletin emerged after an issue in which cryopreserved sperm and embryos thawed out in transit from New Zealand to Australia,” Chris said.
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Chris Copeland ... an RTAC Technical Bulletin is being prepared relating to the transport of frozen embryos and gametes between units
“Both clinics involved have been very open and cooperative about this issue and we recognise that transport of frozen embryos and gametes can have some complexities with multiple people and entities involved.”
The new Technical Bulletin will be circulated to all ART units, and it will also appear on the FSA website.
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