DNA testing for blood donors will be enforced in August, a senior health official said. The new compulsory test is aimed at detecting blood-borne diseases that preventing contamination of blood bank supplies, said Dr. Abdullah Al-Derais, the Ministry of Health assistant undersecretary for Blood Laboratories and Banks. Addressing a press conference here Wednesday, the official said the ministry is introducing the new DNA testing for blood donors “in order to tighten control over the procedure of blood transfusion and donation.” Those testing positive for blood disease would be informed about it, Dr. Al-Derais said. The ministry in cooperation with the Saudi Food and Drug Agency is working on a project to reassess the performance of blood banks. Twenty researchers involved in the project are working on laying down the minimum criterion defining the tasks and functions of these banks. Dr. Al-Derais denied that there is any shortage in some blood types, noting that all blood banks are computer networked for quick and easy availability of any blood type. The ministry's blood banks have sufficient stocks of all blood types and do not solely depend on blood donation to build up supplies, he reiterated. The health official also explained the procedure for action against doctors or technicians found responsible for transfusion of contaminated blood. He said a judiciary panel usually consisting of a Shariah judge and two consultant doctors would look into all dimensions and ramifications of the case and pass judgment accordingly. The penalty can sometimes be tantamount to blood money, depending on extent of damage caused. Dr. Al-Derais said two cases of contaminated blood transfusion, which stemmed from a human error in blood scanning, were registered by the ministry as far back as 1981. Blood donation is encouraged in Saudi Arabia and the ministry awards frequent blood donors. So far decorated 26,000 donors have got medals of the third class. Up to 500 people who have donated their blood more than 50 times have been awarded the silver medal, the official said. Speaking about compulsory premarital tests, Dr. Al-Derais said the ministry has the freedom to test for any disease besides AIDS and Hepatitis B and C. New laboratory Laboratory medical testing and research in the country is set to take a big leap within five months when construction of the National Health Laboratory gets completed. The SR320 million, four-tower building will house a total area of 132,000-sq. m. Dr. Al-Derais said Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, had donated the land for the laboratory, which will include a special unit tasked with identifying new epidemics and diseases. The laboratory will forge worldwide cooperation in the area of virology. The health ministry has allocated SR95 million this year for work on constructing regional laboratories, SR243 million for equipping laboratories and blood banks with epidemic- and blood-detection equipment and material, besides an additional SR70 million to equip other laboratories and toxicology centers all over the Kingdom. Dr. Al-Derais said the ministry's herbal laboratory has already made headway by detecting 659 herbal specimens from 3,071 examined that do conform to Saudi specifications. In one case, the laboratory had analyzed a medicine presented by a citizen, which he had obtained for blood sugar level reduction in diabetic patients. The laboratory found that the medicine contained cancer-causing arsenic and lead components, Dr. Al-Derais warned the public to this drug which originates from East Asia. – Okaz __
