If someone takes a stroll on the footpath opposite the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, he will notice the phrase “blood bank” on almost every other signboard.
There are scores of places in the area who “provide” blood transfusion and preservation services in the locality that is dominated by hospitals and clinics.
Hundreds of people come to these hospitals everyday and blood-related services is one of the commonest things they need.
But for a layman, who does not have medical education, there is nothing that can tell whether these blood banks have the appropriate instruments and facilities to screen out lethal germs such as HIV and Hepatitis B from a blood sample.
On government’s papers, there are only 290 licensed blood transfusion centres (BTCs) in the country. But unofficial data shows that the number of unlicensed BTCs is not less than 1,500.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) is the licensing authority but it has no monitoring responsibilities. In fact, there is no designated authority for making sure that nobody provides blood-related services without proper licenses.
Taking advantage of this loophole, thousands of blood transfusion centres are providing unsolicited services to millions of patients.
Experts say that, in most cases, the emergency patients become victims as most often blood have to be managed for them in the shortest of notices.
At present, out of the 800,000 bags of blood required in the country every year, only half comes from licensed blood banks, sources said.
The Society for Safe Blood Transfusion estimates that over 80% of the blood transfusions are unsafe as they remain unscreened.
According to the Safe Blood Transfusion Act 2002, all blood and blood products must be tested for five transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) – Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, syphilis, malaria and HIV. The act also says that a blood bank must recruit doctors, nurses and technicians to conduct the tests.
However, the Dhaka Tribune has learned that at most of these unlicensed blood banks, the tests are conducted by people without any relevant formal training.
Some secret blood banks in Old Dhaka, Mohammadpur and Shyamoli areas are run by gangs comprising two or three nurses and assistants who work at different hospitals.
They collect blood from drug addicts and homeless people who sell blood on a regular basis, and store it carelessly in unhygienic conditions. When any poor patient needs blood, they offer these secretly. Such banks do not have any government approval to operate.
An employee of one such blood centre in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur told this correspondent: “Patients come to us when there is an emergency. They do not bother about screening.”
He however claimed that all the blood transfusion centres in that area have proper equipment for running the blood tests.
In Dhaka’s Mohakhali area, this correspondent found a pathology centre that is set up in just two rooms – one is the reception and the other has the laboratory. This centre provides blood transfusion services as well.
Seeking anonymity, an employee of a licensed blood centre from the same locality told the Dhaka Tribune that blood screening equipment are big machines and would need several rooms.
The license fee for setting up a pathology centre is only Tk5,000 compared to the Tk1 lakh fee for a full-fledged blood transfusion centre and bank.
“That is why, many people acquire the pathology license and run blood transfusion services,” said Murad Sultan, national professional officer of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“It is very alarming that a large number of unregulated blood banks, including many in private hospitals and clinics, are delivering blood to patients without proper screening, posing serious health risks to patients,” said Prof Dr Ashadul Islam from the Transfusion Department of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).
“Most of the unregulated blood banks hire a house close to public hospitals and start operating the business from there. The government does not care about monitoring the blood banks, who are involved with purchasing blood from professionals and delivering the unscreened blood to patients,” Prof Ashadul told the Dhaka Tribune.
The government is planning to set up a National Blood Centre in Mohakhali, but its construction work is yet to begin.
“The government has allocated Tk8 crore recently for the building. It will also form a central blood centre with a central database. The centre will monitor the blood banks and impart necessary training on related officials,” said Ashadul, who is also the secretary of the National Expert Council for Safe Blood Transfusion.
When contacted, State Minister for Health Zahid Malik told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “There is a law in this regard. There are government directives as well. We are also very serious. We are continuing action against those who do not have proper blood storing facilities or instruments. Still, despite all our efforts, one or two miss our radar. But we will most definitely take action against them as well.”
