Hospitals told to stop blood theft
The Institute of Blood Transfusion Services has failed to ensure the availability of the facility for needy patients because of alleged of theft of blood from the hospitals for sale.
Sale of blood appears to have become a common practice in the city amid its unavailability in the blood banks of hospitals. The blood banks are run under the supervision of officials of the Institute of Blood Transfusion Services.
According to hospital sources, families of the patients are required to approach the hospital blood banks to prepare for transfusion needed during surgery but an increasing number of them complain that they are forced to buy blood. It is suspected that employees serving in the blood banks gather details of patients requiring transfusion in the big private hospitals in the city and deliver the blood through their agents in return for money.
A case of blood theft was recently registered at the Civil Lines police station, in which an employee of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospitals was nominated, He was suspected of involvement in theft and sale of blood bags.
After the incident, the provincial health department advised the hospital administrations to take measure to stop theft of the blood donated by citizens.
The complainant stated that 49 stolen blood bags had been recovered from the employee.
The employee nominated in the case was arrested and he revealed during the investigation of the existence of a network involved in the crime. He reportedly told the investigators that his accomplices supplied stolen blood to the patients needing it inside and outside the hospitals.
According to sources, the Punjab government also plans to take action against some senior officials of the Institute of Blood Transfusion Services.
Police investigators said the arrested suspect that also confessed to having delivered blood to private hospitals.
Punjab Specialised Healthcare Department spokesman Sayed Hamad Raza told The Express Tribune that the department had immediately taken notice of the incident of blood theft at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
“We immediately constituted an inquiry committee, lodged a case and ensured the arrest of the suspect as the department will never allow theft of blood from the blood banks,” he added.
The sources said complaints of unavailability of blood had been received from almost all big government hospitals in the city, including the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Mayo Hospital, Lahore General Hospital, Government Nawaz Sharif Hospital and Services Hospital.
Seeking anonymity, a senior official of a government hospital said that usually the operation theatre staff informed the patients’ attendants about the need of blood during surgery.
“The activity of the mafia starts at this stage. If a patient requires one bag, they ask the attendant to immediately arrange two or three bags of blood, which the relatives arrange through donation. The surplus bags are taken to the blood banks,” the official said.
The blood banks collect a substantial quantity of additional blood daily.
A senior doctor alleged that rare blood types like A negative and O negative, which should be provided to needy patients free of cost was often not available in government hospitals but could be bought after paying Rs10,000 to Rs20,000 per bag.
He said is was suspected that members of the paramedical staff, medical and security staff were involved in the theft.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 12th, 2023.