cord blood procurement being blocked by some hospitals!!!

gowger

Please I don't want this post to start an ethical debate but I was pretty shocked when I read today that some irish hospitals are actually preventing parents from carry out the umbilical cord blood procurement procedure!!

Could someone tell me if they've had this done in Dublin then what hospital did they use?

http://www.imn.ie/index.php/current-issue/news/1615-parents-urged-to-sue-hospitals-ov

In addition to providing stem cells for many potential lifesaving therapies for you're own child it can also be donated to save others lives: http://cord.blood.co.uk/

metrovelvet

Does Ireland have a public cord blood bank or is your only option to do it privately?

crazy cat lady

They weren't doing it in Holles st when I was working there, as far as I know it hasn't changed

silja

I had my twins last year in H Street, there are posters everywhere saying they don't do it, but the lady in the bed beside me in the ante-natal ward was going to have it done, she had a special letter from her consultant saying he'd do it, as they ahd an older child that was sick.

gowger

I contacted a company called Cell4Life who are UK based and provide the service throughout Europe. This is their response:

While we have had business from the Republic of Ireland in the past we are no longer able to operate in your country. This is because the Irish Medicines Board changed the rules on who is allowed to do collections in such a way that we cannot qualify.

Before the rules change we had successful collections from University College Hospital Galway, Rotunda Hospital, Coombe Womens Maternity Hospital, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Mount Carmel Hospital and Limerick Maternity Hospital.

Naturally the only Irish provider I found now is double the price!

kizzyr

Its not done rountinely in Irish hospitals because of the expense. However, if there is a clear need for it in any given case then it will be done. The Rotunda in particular are on record in saying this.

gowger

Thanks for the replies.

Obviously I'm new to the whole affair but if the storage company provide a kit and a courier then I don't see how it could be expensive for the hospital. Surely it can't take very long. Is the health service really that stretched?!

I also wrote to Cryo-Save and got this response:

It is indeed a problem for us as well. Unfortunately we can not give you names, as our experience is that hospitals can change their policy from one day to another.

My advice would be: contact a hospital or private clinic yourself (the latter might be the best option) and check if they want to cooperate. Probably it is more important to check with a gynaecologist/midwife whether they want to do the blood collection.

SanFran07

Hi there,

Have you contacted Medicare.ie - last I heard Mt Carmel is the only hospital with a license to collect cord blood according to the new EU regulations but there are a few trained 'affiliates' (private consultants) in non licensed hospitals that are doing it. Medicare can give you the listing.

It costs the hospital nothing to do this - Medicare have trained Dads to do it in the past before the new regulations. The Coombe is running a study that involves taking cord blood for their study...

The flip side of the coin is that leaving the cord to finish pulsating has benefits for mum & baby - in this case the blood is taken from the placenta.

HTH

Tracy

gowger

Thanks very much for the tips Tracy! I didn't contact medicare yet. That's interesting that they trained Dad's to take their own sample. Come to think of it actually that the fella I originally found out about this through did it himself.

I just got a welcome pack from Mt Carmel the other day to see what the costs could be. Wow! Looks like it could get towards 10k easily enough!

We went in today to holles street for our second appointment so I got a chance to ask the staff about the cord blood procurement. So one nurse told me that they didn't do it because it was so expensive, and didn't get what I meant when I told her that we'd have kit and a courier would pick it up and all that.

The doctor we saw was a brash arrogant man who spent about 1 minute doing the check up, basically just felt the uterus. When I asked him about the cord blood he started a rant and said we don't do it end of story, and we won't do it, and neither will the coombe or the rotunda and don't wirte to anyone and don't phone anyone there's no chance. Maybe you'd have a chance if you go to cork. It was obviously something he felt strongly about.

He said there was no proof that anything could be helped by it at all. How absolutely ridiculous. There are a whole host of well documented therapies. I have a scientific background and I know that to close doors on potential avenues like this is one sure way to block progress. Opinions like this keep our health service in the dark ages.