Vol. 524 No. 5
297 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans he has to ensure that a haemovigilance programme is in place in each of the public hospitals in order to minimise the potential risk to patients and staff by the implementation of best practice in the management of blood and blood products. [23145/00]
The report of the tribunal of inquiry into the Blood Transfusion Service Board chaired by Mr. Justice Finlay recommended the establishment of a procedure for the reporting of abnormal reactions to blood and blood products. The report also indicated that health professionals have a clear professional duty to report such adverse reactions to the appropriate authorities.
Following detailed consultations between the Irish Medicines Board, the Blood Transfusion Service Board, now the Irish Blood Transfusion Service Board, and my Department, procedures for the reporting of abnormal reactions to blood or blood components have been now put in place. The procedures mirror those that already apply in the case of abnormal reactions to medicinal products.
A national haemovigilance office has been established within the IBTS. The main functions of the office are to receive, collate and follow up reports from hospitals and general practitioners of adverse reactions to blood components. The Establishment Order of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service was amended by S.I. 22 of 2000 to provide a statutory basis for the office and also to require it to furnish reports of adverse reactions to blood components to the IMB. The office provides dedicated training and advice to hospitals and health professionals throughout the country and is led by a consultant haematologist.
In preparation for the establishment of the national haemoviligance office, my Department in March 1999 requested hospitals to put the necessary arrangements in place to ensure that abnormal reactions to blood components are reported. To ensure that hospitals were in a position to achieve this important objective, my Department provided dedicated resources to hospitals to develop and strengthen transfusion medicine, including their haemovigilance support service. Hospitals which did not already have multi-disciplinary transfusion committees were requested by my Department to establish such committees, and hospitals were also requested to review all aspects of transfusion practice. In 1999 £1.35 million was made available to hospitals to improve transfusion practice and to support the implementation of the national haemovigilance programme. A further £1.6 million has been made available this year.
