Lagos govt shuts down private hospital for transfusing unscreened blood

Ago-Okota Private Hospital in the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area has been closed down by the Lagos State Government for using unscreened, unlabeled blood on uninformed patients.

This information was provided by Dr. Bodunrin Osikomaiya, the executive secretary of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), in a statement made public on Sunday by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, the state ministry of health's director of public affairs.

According to Osikomaiya, the LSBTS and the state Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency sealed the facility after receiving a tip from a worried individual.

“Following the tip-off, and after thorough investigations, the enforcement teams of LSBTS and HEFAMAA, during their joint monitoring exercise in the area, visited the facility and confirmed to be true, the unwholesome, unprofessional, and unethical medical practices and conduct of the hospital management,” Osikomaiya said.

She stated that the hospital was shut down as a result of breaking the blood transfusion service law, engaging in unethical and subpar medical procedures, and putting the lives of uninformed patients in danger.

“The law states that no person within Lagos State shall transfuse blood into a patient unless such blood has been screened, tested, labelled by the state blood transfusion committee, and found to be negative for all transmissible diseases, including HIV I and II, Hepatitis B and C, Syphilis, and any other disease as may be deemed necessary by LSBTS,” she added.

Osikomaiya highlighted that legal action would be taken against the hospital's management and any personnel proven to have taken part in the inappropriate act.

She went on to claim that the agency had updated its strategies for purging the state of immoral blood transfusion and was still combating the unwholesome practise of transfusing unscreened blood in the state.

Osikomaiya advised people to report any infractions and unwholesome behaviour they saw in order to aid in the fight against unwholesome blood transfusion.

Source