Blood trade racket in Guangdong
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Organised gangs are running the blood trade in Guangdong and managing “professional donors” as untested blood leads to an outbreak of hepatitis, the more so since a pharmaceutical company used infected blood to produce drugs. The net result is that several investigations are currently underway after people infected have complained against Health and drug authorities’ incompetence.
A local paper, the Information Daily, reports that 500 to 600 “professional blood donors” were operating in Jieyang prefecture (Guangdong). For up to 16 years, most donors were under the control of gangs and paid them 320 yuan a month to be well fed twice a day. In exchange they were issued several fake IDs each to enable them to sell blood frequently in Jieyang, Chaozhou, Shanwei, Heyuan and Meizhou. For their trouble gang leaders made up to 40,000 yuan (US$ 5,200) a month.
Selling blood in China is illegal but in Guangdong blood banks are unable to meet hospitals' demand, partly because of superstitions since many local residents believe they would lose their life force if they gave blood.
Health officials in Jieyang said that donated blood accounted for only 72.65 per cent of the 5.25 million cubic centimetres used by hospitals last year.
Some reports indicate that donors are paid 200 yuan for 400cc of blood donated in Jieyang and get to keep all of the money. By contrast, donors in Heyuan have been paid 290 yuan in Longquan but had to give their minders 170 yuan.
In Guangdong the occurrence of hepatitis B in adults is around 7-10 per cent. Checking blood supplies is therefore essential. However, the Ministry of Health and the State Food and Drug Administration acknowledged that the Guangdong Bioyee Pharmaceutical “acted illegally in the production of immunoglobulin (blood product used to treat immune system deficiencies) and some products had caused hepatitis C infections in patients.”
The company is accused of acquiring blood illegally, faking production licences and distributing defective products. Last week, the administration stripped it of its Good Manufacturing Practice certificate and ordered a stop to sales of its immunoglobulin.
But the Guangdong Food and Drug Administration has also been blamed for delays and alleged complicity. For months charges had been levelled at the company for using infected blood and yet the authorities failed to act.
Lu Ting, 24, said she was infected with hepatitis C after receiving an immunoglobulin injection at Beijing Union Hospital in late October. She reported the incident right away but to no avail.
Ms Lu said the health sector's supervisory bodies were incompetent and too slow to respond to her complaints. She said she would seek compensation through the courts, and urged people who had injections of the product to take a blood test so they could detect the disease at its earliest stages and prevent further spread.
No one really knows how many people have been infected, but they are thought to be in the thousands.
Local sources report that the Guangdong Food and Drug Administration knew as far back as August of last year that Bioyee was illegally buying blood from the Lianshan blood station, a source known for poor-quality supplies with a high risk of disease, but did not take any steps. (PB)
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