The Turkish Cypriot ‘health ministry’ on Thursday called on people who believe their children have been conceived through in vitro fertilisation using the wrong sperm or egg donors at clinics in northern Cyprus to contact it directly so as to allow it to investigate the allegations made against IVF clinics.

“The allegations reported in the international press regarding the possible use of sperm or egg donors other than those preferred or communicated to patients in some IVF centres operating in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is being closely monitored by our health ministry,” it said.

“A detailed investigation process regarding these allegations has been initiated from the very first day and is ongoing.”

It then stressed that so as to be able to investigate the allegations, as well as to “identify any similar situations and uncover potential issues”, it wishes to be directly contacted by affected parents.

“Families in the TRNC who have undergone IVF treatment through sperm or egg donation at any centre and who have doubts or concerns about the treatment process, information about the donor used, or the genetic origin of their child are strongly urged to contact the TRNC health ministry,” it said.

It added that it “especially” wishes to hear from “those who suspect that the donor about whom they were notified or chose has not been used” and “patients who detect discrepancies in genetic test results with the donor information provided to them”.

Additionally, it said it wishes to be contacted by “patients who have doubts about the information given to them regarding the donor’s identify, characteristics, or medical history during treatment”, and any other people who believe they may have faced similar issues while using IVF services in northern Cyprus.

“We urge both TRNC citizens and foreign nationals to contact our ministry. Applications will be handled within the framework of confidentiality and personal data protection principles so as to contribute to the ongoing review and evaluation processes,” it said.

It added that “patient safety, children’s right to health, access to accurate genetic and medical information, and the conduct of in vitro fertilisation procedures in accordance with the legislation are fundamental principles”.

“In order to properly determine the scope of the allegations and to uncover any other such instances, it is of great importance that the families concerned contact our ministry. If you have any doubts, contact us,” it said.

The BBC had reported on Tuesday that at least 30 children have been conceived through IVF treatment using the wrong sperm or egg donors at clinics in northern Cyprus.

In all cases, it said that the children’s parents “carefully selected anonymous donors based in information such as their medical history, appearance, personality, education, and hobbies”, but that “they have concerns that the requested sperm and egg donors may not have been used in their fertility treatments”.

Half of these reported cases concern children born from procedures undertaken at the Dogus IVF Centre, which is located in the northern Nicosia suburb of Neapolis.

The BBC reported that the Dogus IVF Centre has been blacklisted by the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos International, since 2016, and quoted one of the impacted children’s mothers, named only as “Rachel”, as having said that “it’s absolutely scandalous” after learning that she had received the wrong sperm donor from the clinic.