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Concern over lack of rules in banking of cord blood

It is crucial to provide all kinds of information to a potential cord blood cell donor because of legal and ethical issues that are involved in it, they say.

Says Asma Ibrahim Al Asad, Director and Laboratory Manager of the Dubai Cord Blood and Research Centre, “Donors are making a choice to do something that may potentially benefit another person.”

She also says pregnant women receive lots of information – sometimes conflicting – about the donation process and consequences of different types of banking.

“It is crucial to disclose several kinds of information to the donor such as who has access to the cord blood once it’s donated, where and how it is stored and how the privacy is protected.”

She explains that the centres should have clear policies on who should provide consent for donation and must also have a plan to address paternal objections to the donation of cord blood.

“This consent should be provided before delivery,” she says.

Asma adds that donors must also be provided with clear information about their options.

“The information provided to a donor must include a balanced perspective on the various options for banking. The information disclosed for allogeneic donation should not include a kind of language that gives the donor an impression that the unit will be available to the family after donation,” she says.

Most importantly, adds Asma, “the centres need to promote the security of medical information by securing links between medical records of the donor and banked cord blood unit.”

She also says that the records must be kept confidential. “If an abnormality is discovered during testing, the results must be delivered to the donor in a manner that is appropriate in relation to the severity of the abnormality.”

Dr Mahmoud Ali Al Taleb, Assistant Director of the Pathology Department in the Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services, adds, “For donors, it is important that they understand the limitations of their rights. Those who collect cord blood should disclose to donors all possible clinical and research uses of cord blood and furthermore, that donation will terminate the prospective donor’s ability to direct use of the cells.”

• UAE