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Pvt blood cord centres may be banned

DUBAI — The Ministry of Health (MoH) is considering a ban on private blood cord centres in the country following criticism by experts and demands from various quarters that sensitive issues should be handled only by the government.

The MoH will soon form a committee at the national and regional level to look into the issue and consider a ban on such companies, said a top health official.

Experts from the Dubai Blood Cord and Research Centre (DCRC) said there were no clear guidelines in the country regarding this matter. “Also, private companies collecting blood cord cells in the country basically do not have the storage facilities and therefore, they have to send the samples overseas,” said Asma Ibrahim Al Asad, Director and Laboratory Manager, DCRC.

She said the cells needed to be processed within 36 hours. “These companies, however, wait to collect enough samples and send them for storage only once a week. Besides, there is a 40 per cent chance that these samples are rejected and if they have already been sent abroad, how can this issue be verified?” she said. “All the procedures are in a way illegal.”

At present, there are two private companies who send samples to Belgium while another ‘soon-to-be-opened’ company plans to send the samples from the UAE to India.

Al Asad said it was easier, cheaper and more profitable to open a representative office in the country.

Dr Mahmoud Ali Al Taleb, Assistant Director of the Pathology Department in the Department of Health and Medical Services (DoHMS), said, “There should be a strict monitoring of the activities in these companies. They may take the samples and you may never need them in 20 years, but they still have already collected the money. This is an ethical issue.”

The experts also said at certain times, the companies were not providing important information to donors while they might also not be opting for genetic testing before collecting blood. “Recently, a woman donated cord blood for future use. After two months, the company found out that the child had Thalassaemia. So, they had stored sick cells!, “ said Al Asad.