Egypt revokes licences of three blood banks over serious violations posing risk to patients

Dubai: Egypt’s Health Ministry has revoked the licences of three blood banks at private hospitals after inspections uncovered serious violations that authorities said posed a direct threat to public health and patient safety.

The blood banks, located in Cairo, Sharqia and Qalyubia governorates, were found to have breached regulations governing the collection, testing and storage of blood and plasma, the ministry said.

Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the ministry’s spokesman, said inspectors found that some facilities lacked dedicated equipment to screen blood and plasma bags for viruses and other disease-causing agents.

Inspections also found that refrigerators used to store blood bags were operating at temperatures that did not meet required health standards. Deep-freezing equipment used for plasma storage also failed to comply with approved medical temperature requirements.

Authorities additionally found that medical questionnaires were missing for some donors, preventing facilities from properly verifying whether they met the health requirements for donating blood or plasma.

The violations were uncovered during an expanded inspection campaign by the ministry’s Central Administration for Non-Governmental Healthcare Facilities and Licensing as part of tighter oversight of private medical facilities.

Hisham Zaki, head of the administration, said legal measures had been taken and the decision to revoke the three blood bank licences had been implemented.

The ministry said surprise and regular inspections would continue across private healthcare facilities, warning that immediate legal action would be taken against violations that could endanger public health.

Officials stressed that there would be no tolerance for breaches affecting the safety of blood and blood products because of their critical role in saving patients’ lives.