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The Lagos State Government has taken decisive action by closing down a private hospital located in Ago-Okota within the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area. This measure was taken in response to the hospital’s alarming practice of utilizing unscreened and unlabeled blood, which was administered to unsuspecting patients.
Dr. Bodunrin Osikomaiya, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), disclosed this significant development in an official statement issued on Sunday. The statement was released by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, the Director of Public Affairs for the State Ministry of Health.
Osikomaiya explained that the LSBTS, acting on a tip provided by a concerned citizen, promptly closed down the facility in collaboration with the State Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA).
“Following the tip-off and extensive investigations, the enforcement teams of LSBTS and HEFAMAA, during their joint monitoring operation in the area, inspected the facility and verified the validity of the hospital’s unwholesome, unprofessional, and unethical medical practices and conduct,” Osikomaiya stated.
She highlighted that the facility was shuttered due to multiple violations, including contraventions of the blood transfusion service law, unethical and unprofessional medical practices, and the grave endangerment of unwitting patients.
“The law unequivocally states that no person within Lagos State is permitted to transfuse blood into a patient unless such blood has been meticulously screened, tested, labeled by the State Blood Transfusion Committee, and confirmed as negative for all transmissible diseases, including HIV I and II, Hepatitis B and C, Syphilis, and any other diseases as mandated by the LSBTS,” she added.
Osikomaiya mentioned that comprehensive records of the blood donors and recipients of these transfusions were obtained from the hospital’s management. She stressed that efforts were underway to trace and assess the clinical health status of patients who received the unscreened blood units, as per the established protocol, to guarantee their safety.
Furthermore, Osikomaiya underscored that both the hospital’s management and any employees found complicit in this unethical practice would face legal consequences.
She also emphasized that the agency had revamped its strategies to combat the improper practice of transfusing unscreened blood in the state, and its commitment to safeguarding public health remained unwavering.
In a call to action, Osikomaiya urged the public to report any observed violations or unscrupulous behavior related to blood transfusion. She also appealed to medical professionals and other stakeholders in the blood transfusion chain, including blood banks, donation facilities, and logistics companies, to rigorously adhere to state blood transfusion laws and adhere to the guidelines set forth by the World Health Organization concerning blood donation, collection, and transfusion.
