THE NATIONAL Blood Trans-fusion Service (Blood Bank), 21 Slipe Pen Road, Kingston, warned yesterday that there may soon be problems with the disposal of expired blood and blood products from its operations as its incinerator is in need of major repairs.
"I'm saying that if something is not done soon then in the not-too-distant future, it is going to stop functioning completely," Dr. Lundie Richards, head of the Blood Bank, told The Gleaner yesterday.
His comments come almost a week after investigations by The Gleaner revealed that the Blood Bank's neighbour, the National Public Health Laboratory, has been without a functioning incinerator for about three months.
Checks by The Gleaner last week showed that there were hundreds of test tubes, several broken, which contained blood and other samples that were supposed to have been destroyed, but which were left carelessly in what appeared to be plastic bags near to the Public Health Laboratory's defective generator. Dogs which roam the compound searching for food are said to have rummaged through the bags.
REPORT
Following last week's report, John Junor, Minister of Health, asked Grace Allen-Young, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, to investigate and to submit a report, which was due on Friday. The Gleaner was unable to make contact with Mrs. Allen-Young yesterday to get an update on the Minister's directive. Mr Junor said he had not yet received the report but expected it to "find out who did it (because) it was clearly an improper disposal" of the items. Also, he said he expected the report to address the issue of repairs to the incinerator.
Mr. Junor added that there was a procedure which instructs the laboratory to use a nearby incinerator if there were problems with its own.
Last week, several employees at the laboratory said they had been following policy by using the Blood Bank's incinerator but this presented problems because it did not have the capacity to incinerate all materials from the Blook Bank and the National Public Health Laboratory.
Dr. Richards said the Blood Bank's incinerator, which has been faulty for "sometime", is now burdened by having to share disposal duties with the National Public Health Laboratory. The Blood Bank's incinerator problems have also led to complaints from residents in surrounding communities, Dr. Richards said.
"It is causing a lot of smoke and fumes to go across to the neighbouring communities and they are not happy".
He said he had spoken with health officials, who have promised help but he could not say when the help would come. "I am hoping that repairs will come soon. They (both incinerators) really need revamping," he said.
