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2004-07-22-Red Cross Blamed for Tainted Blood
The Korean National Red Cross (KNRC) has misclassified a total of 1,205 blood samples tested positive for hepatitis and AIDS as negative from 1994 to 2003, and among them, 205 have been transfused to patients, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday.
It was also found that the mishandling of blood donation samples resulted from mistakes made by KNRC staff.
The investigation came after an inspection by authorities early this year revealed that some 2,550 blood samples were collected from 845 improper donors who had had disease case histories from April 2000 to May 2003.
The KNRC in February confirmed that 74 among 2,550 samples were tainted by diseases and three people who had blood transfusion with the blood contracted hepatitis B and five people hepatitis C.
Suspicious of the reason for the wrongly tested cases, the health ministry set up a blood donation and supply management investigation from June 14 to 26 and found that of the mishandled cases,
1,205 were due to mistakes or carelessness of KNRC staff.
The KNRC has long been under fire for poor management of blood and circulation of blood tainted by hepatitis or suspected to be infected with AIDS, even though blood donated by people with hepatitis viruses or HIV should be destroyed.
The circulation of contaminated blood has caused a stir over the safety of blood transfusions as well as blood products.
While criticism of the blood center is expected to increase due to its poor management of blood inspection and meager control, the ministry said it is conducting check-ups for those receiving the tainted blood and will compensate if individuals are found to have contracted diseases through blood transfusions.
The ministry has already checked about 70 people who received the tainted blood, and some 50 among them were found have died. However, it is not clear whether they died from the blood or other diseases for which they received the transfusion.
``We'll take punitive measures against those responsible for the huge mistakes. And the related authorities will strengthen measures for blood control by introducing stricter checking systems and setting up an independent inspection body outside of the KNRC,'' a ministry official said.
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