Illegal trade in donated blood on rise in China amid shortage of supplies from donors, says report

The illegal trade in human blood has re-emerged in China two decades after a crackdown in the wake of an HIV contamination scandal, according to a television station report.

The business is prospering because while more people can afford surgery in hospitals, there is a nationwide shortage of blood from donors, the report said.

Levels of blood donation on the mainland are lower than recommended by the World Health Organisation. It says at least 1 per cent to 3 per cent of the population should donate blood to ensure adequate clinical supplies.

Drive to ease strain on blood supply

Experts said a “blood crisis” had hit 50 out of 70 major cities on the mainland since February, Shandong Satellite Television reported. Eighty per cent of operations had to be postponed in some hospitals due to the lack of donor blood, it said.

Blood dealers could easily be found at government-run donor centres and they paid high rates to secure supplies, the report said.

Some dealers earned more than 1 million yuan (HK$1.2 million) a year, it said.

The commercial sale of blood is banned on the mainland and people convicted can face up to five years in jail.

Mainland regulations stipulate that patients who undergo surgery have to buy blood from hospitals.