The Ministry of Health has ordered all blood plasma collection
centers across the country to videotape plasma collections in a bid
to stamp out the illegal blood trade.
This underground industry was at the center of a massive HIV
outbreak in Henan Province in the mid-1990s.
The surveillance system is scheduled to be in place by the end
of October. Every plasma collection is to be videotaped to help
guard against illegal transactions and other forms of
malpractice.
Such lapses are closely related to the fake plasma-based product
scandals that have surfaced in recent times, MOH spokesman Mao
Qun'an said at a regular news briefing yesterday.
In one case, 2,000 bottles of fake blood protein were discovered
in Jilin Province, according to the State Food
and Drug Administration (SFDA), China's drug watchdog.
The fakes could have been deadly, particularly if a patient were
allergic to the materials used, medical experts warned.
There are currently 33 companies producing plasma-based products
in China, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Last year, these companies were commissioned by the MOH and SFDA
to set up and operate plasma collection stations, which were
previously under the charge of medical authorities.
Because these companies collect plasma to make products for
profit, they tend to compensate donors.
Industry insiders worry this arrangement could hurt the quality
of such products as companies could be tempted to resort to illegal
collections in order to increase their profits in an otherwise
competitive industry.
Some collect or provide plasma without testing it properly, and
some accept plasma from donors using assumed identities. Some have
accepted blood from a single donor more than once in a six-month
period, contrary to the time restrictions laid out in the country's
blood collection law, said Mao.
Plasma collection stations in Shanxi and Henan provinces were
shut down for engaging in such practices, Mao said.
(China Daily July 11, 2007)
