Great Britain and Turkey involved: Northern Cyprus fertility scandal
A fraud and medical malpractice case is shaking the fertility industry in Northern Cyprus. The case involves at least 30 children born from mismatched donor material.
A fraud and medical malpractice case is shaking the fertility industry: at least 30 children, most of them British citizens, were born as a result of IVF treatments in Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus, in which incorrect sperm or egg donors were used—completely different from those the parents chose and paid for in advance. According to a BBC investigation, parents carefully selected anonymous donors from recognized international banks based on medical background, physical appearance, education, and hobbies.
In practice, commercial DNA tests conducted on 11 of the children revealed that their genetic material originated from Turkey and neighboring countries, rather than Western Europe as promised. Half of the cases occurred at the Dogus IVF Centre, a popular destination for medical tourism due to low prices and promises of high success rates in a territory not subject to European Union regulation.
Rachel, one of the affected mothers, said she paid about 4,000 euros for a treatment package that included sperm from a specific Danish donor from the world's largest sperm bank, Cryos International. The child was completely different in appearance from the profile description, and a genetic test confirmed that the connection to the Danish donor does not exist. It also turned out that the Cryos sperm bank did not supply sperm samples to this clinic at all, and had even blacklisted it as early as 2016 due to suspicions of not ordering the requested donations for patients.
At the center of the case are the clinic's director, Dr. Sevket Alpturk, senior physician Dr. Firdevs Oguz Tip, and patient coordinator Julie Hodson. While Alpturk and Hodson refused to respond to inquiries, Dr. Firdevs denied any connection to misleading patients or purchasing the sperm, claiming she acted legally.
The British Fertility Society reacted with shock to the findings, clarifying that such an error on such a large scale indicates a systemic failure and actual fraud. Following the findings, the British Foreign Office updated its travel advisory for Northern Cyprus, highlighting the serious risks of fertility treatments in the area due to the lack of strict government oversight. The local Ministry of Health has opened an official investigation into the matter.
