Health Ministry dismisses suggestions it ignored problems at National Blood Transfusion Service

 

The Ministry of Health is pushing back against suggestions it ignored alleged problems at the National Blood Transfusion Service until they became public.

 

The ministry last week disclosed that it has launched a probe into complaints of mismanagement at the entity.

 

There are also reports of process errors which could result in contaminated blood products being given to persons.

 

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, said there were investigations each time complaints were made in the last three years. 

 

"So, you know all the incidents that I have seen mentioned in the letters, those would have been investigated - some from 2018, some from 2019, some this year. So, all of those would have triggered investigations and corrective actions, because any situation that occurs in the lab is an immediate problem that needs correction now. So, it's not that these items were left alone. This letter has come after these incidents would have been investigated and corrective actions would increase," she explained.  

 

However, Dr. Bisasor McKenzie has admitted that the latest investigation was triggered by issues placed in the public domain. 

 

"Well, as I said, you know a letter is now coming to our attention. It helps to stimulate another review of the processes. It has to look again to see what else is there to be done. Were all the actions that were to be done, were they completed? Has the process improved? Has it become more efficient? Do we need to do something more? So any kind of allegation that is made would have to stimulate a new review of the process," she said. 

 

Two weeks ago, senior medical technologists at the National Blood Transfusion Service called in sick in what is believed to be protest of the issues at the entity.

 

The Health Ministry has since interdicted those workers, saying their actions were in breach of the labour code.

 

 

 

Dr. Bisasor McKenzie has vouched for the integrity of the blood products given to patients from the National Blood Transfusion Service.

 

She said the entity has checks and balances to ensure patients are given the right blood. 

 

"If it is that an error occurs at any point during that, the system is so designed to pick it up before it is that it gets to the patient. Now a transfusion reaction that occurs to cause a patient death is a serious thing, which is reported internationally. We have to make an annual report if it is that there is any blood transfusion reaction that occurs causing some incompatibility of blood. We have not made any reports for years. We have not had an issue in terms of that happening or being reported," the chief medical officer insisted.  

 

She was speaking Wednesday evening on Radio Jamaica's Beyond the Headlines.