Playing foul with people’s lives:Daily Sun

  A section of unscrupulous people are playing foul with people’s lives by selling contaminated blood, experts said. Because of infusion of unscreened blood, patients in greater number are being affected with Hepatitis B, C instead of getting cure, they opined. Hematologists have raised great concern over the bad practice. Earlier, patients who did not suffer from diseases like autoimmune hepatiti
s, hepatitis B, C or other fatal diseases, later got infected with the viral diseases after infusion of contaminated blood in their bodies. As a consequence, they had to suffer from fatal diseases like liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. Recently, members of the law enforcement agencies sealed off a blood bank and jailed its owner and two staff members at Bakshi Bazar in the capital for making fake blood-test reports using fake seals and initials of doctors. On July 16, a mobile court recovered 45 bags of blood taken from drug addicts during a drive conducted at Mohakhali Patient Welfare Blood Bank in the city. Prof Dr Masuma Begum, a noted hematologist, said most of the blood banks running across the country, collect blood from drug addicts and professional donors and later the same blood is being infused in bodies of patients thereby threatening their lives. “There exists hundreds of similar blood banks across the country, including the capital city,” she informed. Blood provided by these blood banks is most unsafe as it is contaminated with various germs, she observed. Infusion of such blood in human bodies often turns fatal for serious patients, she added. Dr Monzur Hossain, another noted health expert, said: “Blood saves life and many serious patients need infusion of blood to save their lives. But in most cases, they unknowingly take contaminated blood causing harm to them.” When drug addicts fail to manage money for purchasing drug, they either get involved in robbery or go to the blood banks to give blood in exchange of money, he disclosed. He stressed on proper monitoring of the activities of blood banks, otherwise public health will be in jeopardy. While responding to the issue, Prof Dr Abdul Hannan, director (Hospital) of the Directorate of Health Services, said the law enforcement agencies regularly conduct drives against unauthorised blood banks. “We would strengthen monitoring of blood banks to check the alarming trend,” he said. ”We shall seal off the blood banks which play foul with people’s lives through trade of contaminated blood for the sake of public health,” he assured.