By SEAN DOUGLAS Saturday, April 9 2011

HEALTH Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis has said the removal of the “chit system” for donating blood should be no bar to persons wishing to donate blood to specific persons in need, such as relatives undergoing surgery.

She was answering Newsday’s queries at Thursday’s post-Cabinet news briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), St Clair. Reports up to now have been that the elimination of the “chit system” means donated blood can now be given to any emergency patient rather than a specifically intended recipient. However, the Minister has tried to allay these fears. She said the old system had led to a lot of corruption, so the Blood Bank had in January told her they were ending the chit system.

However, she said the new no-chit system also has its woes. “We have discovered — and asked for a comprehensive report — that the implementation of this no-chit system was not properly implemented. Even the current blood donors were not informed it was going to happen.” She said there is a lot of misconception about the new system. “Yes they did take away the chit system, and sometimes when people went to give blood for a specific case, they were told ‘what’s the point of giving it because you are not going to get the blood for the person?’”. She said the Ministry has been speaking to doctors and the regional health authority (RHA) boards about the problem. “Because if somebody goes in for surgery and you donate blood specifically for that person, that should not be a problem,” she said.

The Minister gave steps to facilitate for blood donors, such as extending the hours of the Blood Bank beyond 8 am to 4 pm, and onto Saturdays, and visiting remote communities. Newsday asked how to ensure a recipient gets blood donated on his/her behalf, in the absence of the chit system? “What we are looking at now is more like a letter, so you donate in lieu of someone and a letter is issued to relate to that donation you made.” She listed the woes of the chit system.

“What you had was false chits out there, blood being sold, people were not receiving the blood. “We were getting medical aid requests to buy blood. Just recently I had an MP write me for someone trying to recuperate $6,000 he spent to buy three pints of blood, but then he didn’t need the blood which had already been donated. He wanted me to give him the three pints back to him, or to give him back the $6,000.”