By Oluwatosin Maliki
A private hospital in Lagos located at Ago-Okota in the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area has been sealed by the Lagos State Government for transferring unscreened and unlabeled blood to unknowing patients in the hospital.
This was disclosed by Dr. Bodunrin Osikomaiya, the executive secretary of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), in a statement issued on Sunday by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, the Director of Public Affairs for the State Ministry of Health.
According to Osikomaiya, she stated that they had received a tip from a concerned citizen, there after the facility was sealed by the LSBTS in coordination with the state Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency.
The statement partly read, “Following the tip-off, and after thorough investigations, the enforcement teams of LSBTS and HEFAMAA, during their joint monitoring exercise in the area, visited the facility and confirmed to be true, the unwholesome, unprofessional, and unethical medical practices and conduct of the hospital management”.
She further noted that the facility was closed down for violatiing the blood transfusion service law, unethical and unprofessional medical practices, and endangering the lives of unknowing patients.
She added, “The law states that no person within Lagos State shall transfuse blood into a patient unless such blood has been screened, tested, labelled by the state blood transfusion committee, and found to be negative for all transmissible diseases, including HIV I and II, Hepatitis B and C, Syphilis, and any other disease as may be deemed necessary by LSBTS”.
The executive secretary explained that all the details of the blood donors and transfusion recipients have been retrieved from the management of the hospital.
She said that the case is being investigated and the patients who received unscreened units of blood at the facility were being traced as part of the protocol to ascertain their clinical health status and ensure their safety.
In addition, she stressed that the hospital’s management and any employees found to have been involved in the illegal act would be brought to justice.
She proceeded by saying that the agency has adopted new strategies for sanitising the state against unethical blood transfusion and will continue to fight the harmful practice of transfusing unscreened blood in the state.
In order to fight this Illegal practice in the state, Osikomaiya enjoined citizens to report any suspicious activity, violations and unwholesome behaviour being oberved.
In the same vein, she equally pleaded with medical professionals and other stakeholders concerned with the blood transfusion chain, such as blood banks, donation facilities, and logistics companies, to strictly adhere to the state blood transfusion laws and the rules set forth by the World Health Organization regarding blood donation, collection, and transfusion.