The profiling of donors by the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) smacked of racism, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Thursday. She was referring to an admission by the SANBS that it racially profiled blood donations and that the Health Department was aware of this.
Tshabalala-Msimang said she should have been consulted.
”Because initially when we wanted to establish the prevalence [of HIV] amongst the racial groups in this country, we couldn’t access blood from the SANBS,” she said in Johannesburg
”So, as you ask, we don’t have those figures. But to then begin to say when we don’t have those figures and say it is much more prevalent among Africans and therefore we are not going to take blood from the Africans… it smacks of racism.”
Her department said in a statement it was seeking an urgent meeting with the management of the SANBS on the matter.
”While blood safety is critical in the provision of quality health care, we cannot accept any forms of racism in the provision of health services,” said departmental spokesperson Sibani Mngadi.
”If there has been any form of racism, the department will take decisive action to ensure that this is rectified.”
Earlier in the day, SANBS medical director Dr Robert Crookes said racial profiling was just one of many factors used in assessing risk to recipients.
He added the profiling was necessary and in line with international practice.
Another factor, even more important than the donor’s race, was whether or not the donation was from a first-time, regular or lapsed donor.
Other critical factors included te geographic area the donor came from and the donor’s gender.
Crookes said at least one or two people were infected with HIV/Aids or hepatitis through blood transfusions every year — despite their precautions.
SANBS operations were governed by a licence from the Department of Health issued under the Human Tissue Act.
Crookes said all blood donations were tested for Hepatitis B and C as well as HIV/Aids.
He said no test available was failsafe. There was always the problem of the window period during which donors’ blood would test negative while the donor was in fact, infected.
If this blood was then passed on to patient, that patient would probably develop HIV/AIds or Hepatitis.
”This is the crux of all our problems,” Crookes said — hence the profiling.
Regular donors were placed in Category 1, a low-risk grouping. New and lapsed donors belonged in Category 4, a high-risk grouping.
Blacks, because of the prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis in the African community, fell in the high-risk Category 3.
Category 1 is currently composed of all white and Indian donors, while coloureds and whites as well as Indian first-timers fell in the relatively low-risk Category 2.
Coloured first-timers fell in category 3 and Blacks fell in Category 4.
Crookes insisted this was the ”most logical, medical, ethical and legally defensible system available”.
He said that despite the profiling and questionnaires, 1,12 supposedly safe Category 1 donations per 100 000 made between January and October this year turned out infected in tests.
With 800 000 transfusions a year, this was potentially nine patients who could have been infected.
The prevalence rates for Category 2 in the same period was 2,2. In Category 3 it was 25,8 and in Category 4 it was 58,97. This was potentially about 470 infections per year, said Crookes.
The comments caused a furore, but Gauteng health department spokesperson Popo Maja, after speaking to Crookes, said the SANBS had not said anything irresponsible.
National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union spokesperson Moloantoa Molaba said if there was proof that black people were more likely to have HIV/Aids than any other racial group, ”we are speaking science”.
”Some of these things are verifiable — such as racial group, gender group, geographic areas. The hard data then is not in itself a problem,” Molaba said.
But given the sensitivity of race relations, racial profiling should be discouraged or not used at all, he added.
SA Medical Association chairperson Dr Kgosi Letlape found the explanation objectionable.
”We would like to hear a scientific rationale for the profiling. They need to find a system of classification that is non-racial,” he said. – Sapa