The Ministry of Health and Population announced the revocation of licenses for three blood banks affiliated with Al-Obour Hospital in Sharqia Governorate, Al-Kuwaiti Hospital in Qalyubia Governorate, and Al-Raai Al-Saleh Hospital in Cairo, following extensive inspection campaigns carried out by the Central Administration for Non-Governmental Therapeutic Institutions and Licensing to regulate the operations of private medical facilities.
The measure comes in implementation of directives from Minister of Health and Population Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar to intensify continuous and surprise inspections of private medical facilities nationwide, with the aim of strengthening oversight of healthcare services provided to citizens and ensuring compliance with required standards to protect patients’ health and safety.
Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the Ministry’s official spokesperson, said inspection committees detected serious violations posing a direct threat to public health and constituting clear breaches of Law No. 8 of 2021 regulating blood operations and plasma collection, its executive regulations, as well as Law No. 51 of 1981 and its amendments.
The violations included the absence of equipment for testing blood and plasma bags for viruses and ensuring they were free of pathogens, failure to maintain blood-storage refrigerators at the nationally required temperatures, and failure to maintain deep-freezing equipment for plasma at approved medical temperatures. Inspectors also found that medical questionnaires were missing for some donors, preventing verification that they met national requirements for blood and plasma donation.
Dr. Hesham Zaki, Head of the Central Administration for Non-Governmental Therapeutic Institutions and Licensing, confirmed that all immediate legal procedures had been taken and that the licenses of the three blood banks had been revoked. He stressed that there would be no tolerance for any negligence or violations affecting the safety and security of blood and its derivatives, which are essential to saving patients’ lives.
He also confirmed that field inspections and monitoring of medical facilities of all types would continue, with immediate and strict action taken against any violations that threaten citizens’ health.
source: Al-Ahram Portal
