Unhappy Cordlife clients face huge costs to transfer cord blood units

The logistical complexity of transfer is another big hurdle; but some are still keen on doing it

- Lee Li Ying

Disgruntled Cordlife clients who want to transfer their cord blood units to another cord blood bank can do so, with the three other cord blood banks in Singapore ready to take in transfer requests.

But parents will have to cough up thousands of dollars for the process - which would include transfer fees, transport costs of a medical courier, storage fees and possible additional tests requested by the new facility.

On top of that, they have been cautioned about the logistical complexity of the transfer.

Despite these hurdles, some parents have shown interest in going ahead with the transfer, with Cordlife's competitors receiving multiple inquiries since the saga first broke.

Processes at the company have been in the spotlight after it was revealed on Nov 30, 2023, that cryopreserved cord blood units in seven of its 22 storage tanks were exposed to sub-optimal storage temperatures.

Cord blood units have to be stored at temperatures no higher than minus 150 deg C.

About 7,500 cord blood units in two tanks and in a dry shipper - a container used to transport cord blood units at extremely low temperatures have been deemed non-viable and unlikely to be suitable for stem cell transplants.

The company is now facing pressure on multiple fronts - including investigations by the police and health authorities and legal action from aggrieved customers.

The Ministry of Health extended the firm's suspension for up to three months till Sept 15, so it has more time to validate its cord blood processing system.

In response to queries from The Sunday Times, the Republic's only public cord blood bank, Singapore Cord Blood Bank (SCBB), said it has received an average of 10 to 15 inquiries a month for transfer of cord blood units since November.