Illegal Blood Sale: National Blood Service speaks [Listen]

The National Blood Service, Ghana (NBS) has reacted to a JoyNews’ and Corruption Watch’s investigation that uncovered the illegal collection of fees for blood supply by a syndicate operating within Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the Greater Accra Regional Blood Bank.

Public Relations Officer of NBS, Stephen Adai Baah, in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, Friday said NBS does not provide blood directly to patients or their relatives as portrayed in the documentary.

“We distribute the blood collected from voluntary blood donors to the hospital banks which in turn cross-match and issue the blood to patients for transfusion. The NBS has no syndicate, we always hear of some scrupulous people taking advantage and have even made an arrest,” he said.

BLOOD WAHALA
At the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, a staff collected GH¢300 for a pint of blood while the leader of a syndicate operating within the National Blood Service at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital demanded GH¢750 for a pint of blood.

Mr Baah, however, noted that one Eric Mensah in the documentary is not a staff or someone assigned to the Service.

He also stated that Hospital blood banks are not part of the NBS as they are directly supervised by the management of their respective hospitals.

Mr Baah disclosed that his outfit is collaborating with the Police to arrest the leader of the syndicate and further investigate the alleged illegal sale of blood at the Korle-Bu Teaching hospital blood bank.