Harney disturbed at blood donation sales
Minister for Health Mary Harney tonight said she was “disturbed” at revelations donated blood had been sold to 23 drugs firms over a 19-year-period.
A 52-page report on the practice has been compiled by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service after media enquiries and was sent to the Department of Health today.
In a brief statement, Ms Harney said: “I was surprised to learn of this matter and disturbed to hear that this practice has been taking place without the express consent of those who donated blood. ”
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) which receives over 150,000 voluntary donations each year, said it supplied a total of 3,800 units of blood products between 1983 and 2002.
It was paid more than €101,600 for the products between 1995-2002 but said financial records before were “incomplete”.
IBTS medical director Dr Willie Murphy said the money was used to buy materials and pay for staff overtime.
Opposition health spokesman and blood donor Dr Liam Twomey said he was “appalled” by the revelations and that it was “another embarrassing blow to the blood transfusion service“.
The Wexford GP added: “I think the saddest outcome of all this will be that donors could be put off giving blood for life-saving operations.”
Dr Murphy acknowledged that donors would be upset by the revelations but he hoped it wouldn’t deter them from donating.
He told RTE News: “It was done really as a mixture of goodwill and to get some money for expired products.
“Companies needed blood to calibrate diagnostic machines and they must have approached the blood bank in the 80s and 90s and asked them if they would supply them.
He added: “There is no evidence to show that anybody pocketed any money or made any personal gains from this.”
“I’ve been a blood donor myself and I assume that my donations go straight into therapeutic use and that’s the only purpose for taking a donation.
He assured donors that there was no “commercial interface” now.
All 23 pharmaceutical firms are named in the internal audit report including Trinity Biotech, Olympus Diagnostica and Shandon Clinic.
