73,000 blood bags wasted: GPs urged to send haemochromatosis patients to blood banks
The RACGP's Dr Toby Gardner is backing a campaign to encourage donation over therapeutic venesection.
When GP Dr Toby Gardner has a patient with haemochromatosis he encourages them to donate their blood through Australian Red Cross Lifeblood rather than undergo therapeutic venesection.
So, he was taken aback this week when Lifeblood revealed that an estimated 73,000 bags of blood taken from haemochromatosis patients at GP clinics or pathology centres are being dumped each year.
