Despite recent progress, obstacles like uneven development, illegal blood sales and safety concerns still persist in the blood-donation system, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday.

In a notice published on its website (www.moh.gov.cn), the ministry said it would launch a national probe into illegal blood collection this month. The campaign will end in December.

The notice also ordered all localities to "prohibit blood centers and medical institutions from seeking paid blood collections and donations and put an end to their profit-seeking."

The authorities have been encouraging people to donate blood in recent decades, and the situation has improved, especially since the promulgation of a national donation law in 1998.

But the concept of donating blood for free has faced some obstacles. Around the country, underground blood sales continue to pose challenges to blood safety measures.

The ministry has been working to crack down on such practices. Researchers have linked illegal human blood markets with the spread of HIV/AIDS. An outbreak of the disease in Henan Province was linked to tainted blood transfusions.

Fake blood products are another danger.

For example, the State Food and Drug Administration reported on Monday that more than 2,000 vials of fake albumin, which could be fatal if used, were discovered in Northeast China's Jilin Province.

Source: China Daily