Hospital scandal erupted on net over 'blood flowers' in Chengdu

• Source: Global Times
• [02:27 November 12 2009]
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By Liu Dong

Internet photos of a gardener watering his flowers with blood plasma have provoked public indignation in Sichuan Province, resulting in the dismissal of two hospital employees.

The scandal erupted on November 7 when a flower grower in Chengdu posted an online article claiming that he used human blood plasma as plant fertilizer.

The article, posted under the name "back-and-forth," appeared on a forum for gardeners. The post included photos of the author sprinkling flowers with a batch of plasma labeled with the name of the Chengdu Blood Center.

"Take a good look at my fertilizer! Purely high-protein nutrition!" he wrote.

The plasma was traced to the blood clinic at a local hospital affiliated with a mining enterprise. The hospital worker on duty was removed for violating regulations on the disposal of bad blood plasma.

He gave the batch of plasma to the local gardener without authorization after he detected it had deteriorated. Zhen Ying, director of the publicity department of Chengdu Health Bureau, told Guangzhou Daily Wednesday.

The director of the mine hospital's blood clinic was also relieved, according to Zhen.

An official investigation established that the plasma was distributed to the No.2 People's Hospital in Shuangliu county. The hospital then transferred it to the mine hospital, Zhen said.