MBS suspends worker for negligence, but insists blood given to patients wasn’t spoiled

Maldivian Blood Services (MBS) has suspended an employee found to have been negligent in properly communicating with other employees ahead of blood transfusions, leading to blood that was stored in a freezer that malfunctioned getting administered to three thalassemia patients.

The suspension comes after the institution was accused of administering spoiled blood to patients.

In a statement on Friday night, the MBS explained that issue with one of the freezers at the institution took place on April 19. The MBS said that the freezer had been fine when checked after closing at 09:00 pm. But the alert system that monitors the temperature of the freezer began sending alert messages at 10:11 pm. According to the MBS, the messages went to five employees, out of whom three went to the room where the freezer is located within the “required period of time” and transferred 12 packets of blood to the standby freezer.

The MBS said that it activated the standard protocol for such situations, and that on the morning of April 20, its technical staff in charge of quality assurance of blood transfusions, as well as technical staff from the Hulhumale’ Hospital’s Quality Assurance Department began work on checking automated records on the temperature of the freezer, and completing other mandatory checks.

The MBS said that while the temperature should have been maintained between 2-6 degrees Celsius, they found it rose to 11 degrees Celsius. However, the automated records failed to reveal how long it remained in that temperature.

“However, health standards dictate that in the case of a freezer malfunction, blood packets can be safely stored in freezers at no more than 10 degrees Celsius for up to four hours,” said the MBS.

 The MBS said that based on the time it took for the staff to attend to the situation and the timestamps on the temperature logs, it is established from a health perspective that the blood in the freezer wasn’t spoiled or contaminated.

The MBS said that while the administrative checks were in progress, it was identified at 09:30 am on April 20 that blood that was in the freezer was administered to three patients.

The institution said that the staff suspected of involvement was identified and an investigative team from the Male’ Group of Hospitals was set up and launched an investigation the same day to establish whether it involved any negligence.

The MBS said that the staffer in charge of overseeing blood transfusions was suspended on April 23 on suspicion of negligence in providing the information required ahead of blood transfusions.

The institution said it decided against using the remaining nine packets of blood, and had arranged replacements for the patients who the blood was meant for.

The MBS said it also found that there had been a delay in informing the three patients who were administered blood taken from the freezer.

The institution said that representatives from the Male’ Group of Hospitals met with and listened to the concerns raised by the Thalassemia Society and the family of one of the patients.