Calls are mounting for greater national regulation of fertility treatments as the boss of a leading IVF clinic resigns following a second embryo mix-up.
Monash IVF chief executive Michael Knapp quit the company on Thursday, days after it was revealed the wrong embryo was transferred to a patient at a Melbourne clinic last week.
The woman, understood to be in a same-sex relationship, accidentally received one of her embryos instead of an embryo from her partner as planned at a Melbourne clinic.
The company, which has a presence around Australia, apologised to the couple and included the error in an internal investigation while the Victorian Health Regulator has also launched a probe.
Commonwealth, state and territory health ministers will discuss greater IVF national regulation on Friday, a meeting prompted by the earlier known error.
Health Minister Mark Butler indicated a need to instil confidence in the IVF system, which is responsible for about 20,000 live births per year in Australia.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan backed stronger national involvement in the sector.
"Families deserve to have the confidence that the regulatory environment, the companies that are a part of this system, are doing the right thing," Ms Allan told reporters on Thursday.
Bioethicist Dr Hilary Bowman-Smart called for a system-wide review and national regulations affecting all assisted reproductive treatments.
"More and more people are turning to IVF when they are making decisions about having children," the University of South Australia research fellow told AAP.
"That sort of rapid growth in that industry, particularly a highly commercialised sector, means that there are potential risks or concerns about best practice in the absence of really comprehensive regulation with appropriate oversight and enforcement.
"The issue is not just the quality of the regulation, it's also about the consistency and ensuring that the same standards apply to all Australians."
Mr Knaap was appointed chief executive in 2019 and led the company through a period of "significant growth and transformation" according to an ASX company announcement.
Monash IVF chief financial officer Malik Jainudeen will be acting chief executive in the short term.
Monash IVF's share price rebounded by more than eight per cent on Thursday after a plunge in response to the announcement of embryo mix-up on Tuesday.
The company in April revealed a woman at its Brisbane facility had another patient's embryo transferred to her, which it blamed on "human error".
The mistake was picked up in February after the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an extra embryo was found in storage.
Monash IVF apologised, expressed confidence it was an isolated incident and hired leading barrister Fiona McLeod to lead its independent review, which has since been expanded.
