Officials in Hebei penalized for not prioritizing regular blood donor
Several officials and medical staff in Bazhou, Hebei Province, have been disciplined after a man, who had donated blood eight times, was denied priority access to blood for a necessary surgery.
The incident occurred when a patient surnamed Li was admitted to the Second Hospital of Bazhou on August 15, requiring surgery. Due to anemia, he needed an immediate blood transfusion. Despite his eligibility for lifetime priority access to blood, hospital staff and the Langfang Blood Bank failed to acknowledge this, causing significant inconvenience.
Li's blood donation certificate
The Langfang Municipal Health Commission on August 27 confirmed in an announcement that both the Langfang Blood Bank and the Second Hospital of Bazhou were at fault.
The investigation revealed issues such as inadequate information sharing, a lack of understanding of blood donor priority policies, and poor communication with the patient.
As a result, the head of the blood supply department at the Langfang Blood Bank received an official warning, while the director of the hospital's blood transfusion department and the supervising doctor faced similar disciplinary action.
Li received the surgery on August 26 and is recovering well, the announcement said.
