PESHAWAR: Authorities at regional blood centres have shown concerns over issuance of blood to patients at medical teaching institutions (MTIs) upon getting the identity cards of patients’ relatives, which are returned only after they bring donors with them, according to sources.

They say that MTIs get free blood from regional blood centres and should provide it to patients free of cost, without delay or keeping their National Identity Cards (NICs).

The regional blood centres operating in Peshawar, Abbottabad, Swat and Dera Ismail Khan have been supplying free blood to government-run hospitals for transfusion to patients. Under a memorandum of understanding between regional blood centres (RBCs) and MTIs and district headquarters hospitals, the former supplies blood to the latter for providing it to needy patients.

RBCs in the four areas collect bloods by arranging camps for voluntary donors. The blood collected at camps from donors is screened and supplied to hospitals for free transfusion to the patients, according to sources.

Say RBCs provide blood to hospitals free of cost to be used in emergency

“We get blood bags from RBC every day. These are stored in blood bank and given to patients, who are undergoing operations and get serious injuries,” said a director at one of the Peshawar-based MTIs.

He said that there were complaints from RBC that the staffers of hospitals were not issuing blood to patients until their relatives surrendered their identity cards, which were returned to them only when they brought donors.

The director said that RBC officials were asking MTIs to stop taking NICs from attendants of patients for depositing blood through donors. “It is unethical and illegal that MTIs are not readily providing blood to patients but keep the NICs of their relatives without any logic,” he added.

He said that blood was issued to MTIs and DHQs almost on daily basis in the vehicles from RBC just for patients.

A blood bank officer told this scribe that the argument advanced by officials of RBC was genuine because the blood was meant for patients and should be provided to them without delay.

“NICs are very important and shouldn’t be taken from people. It is very sensitive matter because keeping NICs of people as guarantee that they will provide blood later. Misplacement of NICs could land the owners in difficult situation,” he said.

Sources agreed that blood was provided free of cost to patients in emergency and the practice to take NICs from patients’ relatives was illegal. However, MTIs did not come under the health department directly and their boards of governors were responsible to look into such matters, they said.

Four RBCs are operational while two others one each in Bannu and Kohat are under-construction to ensure that people get safe blood transfusion free of cost. These centres have highly sophisticated machines, which screen blood for different diseases and patients ultimately receive screened blood.

Officials at the RBCs said that they were extremely concerned about the practice adopted by MTIs. They said that hospitals should stop seeking blood from patients in exchange. In emergency, all the patients should get blood to ensure safety of their lives, they added.

“Not only we provide blood to patients but also to hospitals, which are receiving injured from Muharram processions. We are carrying out social mobilisation drives to prepare people for blood donations,” they said.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2024