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IOL News
16 hours ago
- Health
- IOL News
Western Cape Blood Service reviews race-related questions on donor forms
The Western Cape Blood Service is reviewing the blood donor questionnaire and plans to add an 'other' option, and we are considering a 'prefer not to say' option after concerns were raised by the group People Against Race Classification calling for the blocks to be scrapped. Image: Independent Newspapers photographers The Western Cape Blood Service (WCBS) is reviewing its donor questionnaire following pressure from People Against Race Classification (Parc) to change the requirement to state your race when donating blood. The service said they now plan to add an 'other' option, and is considering a 'prefer not to say' option. Parc had flagged their concerns with the WCBS through several letters, saying they took offence that the questionnaire to be completed by those who want to donate blood asked for racial information. 'I have been a blood donor in this country for many years. I am not a Coloured, Black, Indian or White person. Why don't you also add an option for a person not to complete his race data? Or why not add more ethnic identities like, Khoi-San, Zulu, Afrikaner, Pedi, etc. 'The arguments regarding the need for this data is commonly known but not accepted. The WCBS as part of the science and medical fraternity, has no obligation to report on which blood was donated by which race. The necessity to know a person's race has no medical implication on what patient could use whose blood. You have no legal leg to support this practice. The Population Registration Repeal Act of 1991 has repealed all uses of race criteria,' Parc founder Glen Snyman wrote. On March 13, Parc's action team visited the Western Cape Blood donation Service's Head Quarters in Cape Town where they held a demonstration with placards in hand calling for the race blocks on the donation forms to be removed. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Initially the organisation in a letter responding to Snyman's concerns on March 27, outlined the reasons why it collected the data and also noted that the matter was discussed at a board meeting and would be brought up again following consultation with an expert. On June 2, WCBS CEO, Greg Bellairs wrote another letter, stating that the board had explored whether there may be any ethical issues around asking the race of blood donors and had engaged with a 'respected bio-ethicist'. 'We have also fully considered your position, and decided the following: when next we revise the blood donor questionnaire's options regarding race, we will add a block called 'other', and we are considering adding another block called 'prefer/choose not to say'. We will add further information about why we ask for the race of blood donors, on the blood donor questionnaire, on the Service's Privacy Statement (which all blood donors sign), and on WCBS's website,' said Bellairs. On March 13, Parc's action team visited the Western Cape Blood donation Service's Head Quarters in Cape Town where they held a demonstration with placards in hand calling for the race blocks on the donation forms to be removed. Image: Supplied Approached for comment on Thursday, WCBS spokesperson Marike Carli said the organisation did collect race data but was open to continuous engagements. 'Race data is still collected. However, we are reviewing the blood donor questionnaire and plan to add an 'other' option, and we are considering a 'prefer not to say' option as well. Blood donors who wish to not disclose their race may freely donate blood. We do not discriminate based on race or gender. We welcome constructive dialogue and remain open to continuous engagements and improvements. 'Every decision we make, including the information we request from blood donors, is… grounded in both medical science and ethical responsibility. We ask blood donors to self-identify their race so that we can select donations for extended testing for additional blood group systems (other than the ABO and Rh systems). This enables us to provide blood-group compatible blood products to multi-transfused patients such as those with thalassaemia, and sickle cell disease – as well as to identify donations of rare blood types, which are reserved in a national repository for patients with rare blood types,' said Carli. Snyman said this was still not enough. 'This is a small 'victory' for PARC. The WC Blood Service agreed to amend their blood donation questionnaire form by adding to the race options the 'other' box, and also an option for people to 'not disclose their race'. However, we will continue our fight to have all the race blocks removed from all forms,' he said. Stellenbosch University, Emeritus Professor in Health Systems and Public Health, Usuf Chikte said there is no 'credible genetic or biological foundation for these categories'. 'Racial classification, particularly in South Africa, is a social and political construct, not a scientific one. It emerged from a brutal system of segregation and inequality, not from any meaningful understanding of human biology. To continue relying on these categories in medicine, especially in something as sensitive and vital as blood donation, is to perpetuate a deeply harmful legacy devoid of any scientific basis. 'Proponents argue that such data may help match rare blood types. But even where this is medically relevant, ancestry-based screening, not racial identity, is the appropriate approach. 'Race' is simply too crude, inaccurate, and politically loaded to serve as a stand-in for complex biological or genetic markers. More importantly, the use of race on medical forms undermines patient trust. Most people filling out these forms have no idea why the information is being collected or how it will be used. In a country still grappling with the trauma of institutionalised racism, this is not a trivial issue. Medical institutions must be held to the highest standards of ethical transparency and scientific validity.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Roads policing numbers at historic low of 618 gardaí, figures show
The number of gardaí involved in roads policing units has dropped to a historic low of 618 according to the latest Department of Justice figures. There has been a steady decline since 2009 when official figures for those engaged in roads policing began to be regularly published. That year 1,046 gardaí were assigned to road policing duties and the numbers involved fell to a low of 623 in 2017. They rose over the next four years to 736 in 2021 but have fallen again, down to 627 last year. In January this year the number of gardaí in the units dropped to 626, to 623 in February and was down to 618 by the end of April. READ MORE Every region and county has seen the number of roads policing gardaí drop, in some cases by more than 50 per cent since 2009. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris told the Oireachtas Transport Committee in May last year 'we plan to add 75 gardaí to roads policing this year and a further 75 in 2025, and working towards this, we are proactively recruiting into our roads policing units'. A recruitment campaign was undertaken in eastern, north-western and southern regions last year. But Susan Gray of road safety campaign group Parc said the figures show a reduction of nine members at the end of April compared to last year. 'They are just playing catch up all the time.' The figures show the Sligo/Leitrim Garda Division had 23 members in 2021, but it was down to 11 in February this year. Donegal had 31 Garda roads policing members in 2021, which fell to 21 last year, a reduction of 10 officers in three years. Official Road Safety Authority data shows 17 road deaths in Donegal last year, 'the highest number since 2010 when 19 died', Ms Gray said. Sixty-nine people have died on Irish roads so far this year, she said. In the Dublin Metropolitan Area the numbers have dropped from their 2009 high but have remained consistent over the last two to three years. In Dublin's eastern region which goes from Dún Laoghaire to Stepaside and takes in Dundrum, Blackrock, Shankill and Cabinteely, the numbers dropped from 18 in 2009 to four in 2023 and rose to nine the following year, where they have remained. In Laois/Offaly there were 42 dedicated roads policing officers in 2009 which fell to 24 in 2023 and dropped to 18 in April this year. 'It is very disappointing,' said Ms Gray. 'Everybody talks about road safety being a priority and everywhere we look it's obvious it's not a priority,' she said. 'We hoped to see the figures going up rather than down for gardaí involved in roads policing.'
Irish Independent
13-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Six counties have no road fatalities as traffic deaths decline by 12pc this year
The decline came despite Garda Roads Policing Unit (RPU) personnel numbers remaining at near record lows. Sixty people have died on Irish roads so far this year. That contrasts to 68 who lost their lives in traffic tragedies by the same point last year. The deaths this year have included 24 drivers, 15 pedestrians, six passengers, 10 motorcyclists, four pedal cyclists and one pillion passenger. Almost one in three deaths this year have involved motorcyclists or pedal cyclists. Road safety campaigner group Parc conducted an analysis of crashes, which revealed road deaths were spread across 20 counties – three counties more than on March 1. Six counties – Clare, Kildare, Longford, Louth, Monaghan and Wicklow – have not recorded a road death so far this year. A total of 184 people died on Irish roads in 2023, the highest death toll for over a decade. Last year, a total of 174 people died in traffic tragedies. That represented a 4pc decline. Road safety chiefs have ordered studies into the varying nature of fatal crash statistics to better understand the reasons for surges and declines in fatalities. There have also been inexplicable regional variations in fatal collisions. Ireland's most populous county, Dublin, has recorded six road deaths so far this year. However, Galway and Donegal have also both recorded six traffic fatalities each this year despite having only a fraction of Dublin's population and traffic volumes. There have been seven fatalities this year in Mayo. Parc founder Susan Gray said their study revealed that 18 of the 60 people who died on Irish roads so far this year were aged 30 years or younger. She said the cornerstone of road safety was the strict enforcement of safety regulations and proper resourcing of the gardaí. 'There is an undeniable link between Road Policing Unit numbers, enforcement of road safety regulations and the safety of our roads,' she said. She said the priority for the Government should be the provision of maximum resources for the gardaí. Ms Gray said RPUs deserved enormous credit for the work they had achieved with depleted resources. RPU personnel numbers are 40pc down on 2009 levels. 'We desperately need to get the road safety message across and ensure that road safety regulations are rigorously enforced,' she said. 'But this includes all the stakeholders from the Government to state agencies and from prioritising recruitment to the gardaí to closing loopholes in the law and devoting the resources to road safety to reduce the number of fatalities.' August was the deadliest month on Irish roads in 2023, but was one of the safest last year. Ireland had 138 road deaths in 2018 – 29pc below last year's number. Since 2018, road deaths have steadily climbed: 2019 (140), 2020 (146), 2021 (130/Covid lockdowns), 2022 (155) and 2023 (184). Almost half the road deaths over the past 18 months have involved vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, bikers and e-scooter riders. An RSA submission to the Government last year noted that, in the space of five years, deaths among young people aged between 16 and 25 almost doubled. Overall, road users aged 16 to 25 represented the largest proportions of fatalities (26pc) and serious injuries (22pc) over the past year. The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) warned that frontline resources were a major issue for the force as it responded to multiple operational challenges. Gardaí insisted that 150 extra personnel would be deployed to RPU work nationwide by the end of this year. 'Gardaí do not comment on current or future deployment of resources for operational reasons,' a spokesperson said. 'An Garda Síochána (AGS) is committed to its aim to transfer 150 personnel into Roads Policing by the end of 2025. (We) commenced this allocation with the transfer of 23 garda members to RPUs during the second half of 2024. 'Competitions took place in three garda regions and panels are now in place across all four garda regions. Transfers from those panels will take place throughout 2025. Internal garda competitions are conducted by garda HR in accordance with agreements with the Garda Staff Associations,' the spokesperson added. 'Managing deployment of resources in a large national organisation such as AGS with over 560 garda stations throughout the country, and competing priorities such as roads policing, economic crime, drugs and organised crime, cyber crime and maintaining frontline policing is a complex process.' In 2014 there were 192 road deaths when there were 742 assigned RPU members. In 2017 there were 154 deaths when there were 623 assigned RPU members.
Pembrokeshire Herald
06-05-2025
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Tragedy at Parc: How prison failings led to the death of a 25-year-old inmate
'Alarming' drug access, breached protocols, and a system in crisis THE DEATH of a young prisoner at HMP Parc has laid bare a catalogue of failings inside Wales' largest private jail, with damning reports from the prisons watchdog and inspectors exposing shocking levels of drug availability, neglected mental health needs, and breached safety procedures. Lewis Rhys Thomas Petryszyn, 25, from Pontardawe, was found dead in his cell on the afternoon of April 15, 2022. His death, confirmed by a coroner last month to be the result of inhaling a 'bad batch' of the synthetic drug spice, followed what the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has called a series of missed opportunities and breaches of protocol by staff at the troubled Bridgend facility, which is operated by security giant G4S. An inquest at Pontypridd Coroner's Court concluded that Mr Petryszyn died from drug inhalation after ingesting spice, an illegal psychoactive substance known to cause hallucinations, erratic behaviour, and in some cases, death. A dangerous pattern Mr Petryszyn was jailed in 2021 for trafficking Class A drugs and intentionally wounding a man outside Swansea's Fiction nightclub. He was moved to HMP Parc shortly after sentencing. Inside the jail, staff soon suspected he was involved in distributing psychoactive substances (PS). In April 2022, officers found a 'debt list' in his cell and intelligence suggesting he was bullying and assaulting vulnerable prisoners over drug-related debts. However, despite this, prison staff failed to properly apply the Challenge Support Intervention Plan (CSIP) – a national protocol designed to manage violent or high-risk prisoners. On April 13, just two days before his death, Mr Petryszyn was moved to a different unit due to concerns he posed a threat to others, yet again, no formal CSIP plan was created. Breach of protocol – a lost chance to save him? At 1:40pm on April 15, a prison officer delivered disciplinary hearing paperwork to Mr Petryszyn's cell. Instead of following local policy and handing it to him in person, the officer simply slid the document under the door. He looked through the observation panel and assumed both Mr Petryszyn and his cellmate were asleep. Forty-five minutes later, a different officer arrived to deliver a prison shop order and found Mr Petryszyn slumped on the floor, unresponsive, while his cellmate sat on the bed 'staring into space'. A post-mortem later confirmed the presence of two psychoactive substances—ADB-BUTINACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA—as well as olanzapine, a powerful antipsychotic that he had not been prescribed, and mirtazapine, one of two antidepressants he had been given inappropriately. The ombudsman said the officer's failure to check on him directly may have robbed staff of a chance to save his life, writing: 'This meant that staff missed a possible opportunity to provide emergency medical care to Mr Petryszyn sooner.' Drug strategy outdated, inspections damning The report also found that Parc's drug strategy was out of date, despite widespread evidence that prisoners were able to easily obtain both illicit substances and diverted prescription medication. One day before his death, staff smelled spice coming from Mr Petryszyn's new cell—eight days after the last known batch was confiscated. This, the ombudsman said, was clear evidence that the flow of drugs in the prison was virtually unchecked. A separate unannounced inspection of HMP Parc earlier this year found drugs were discovered on over 900 occasions in 2024 alone, and revealed that cell windows could be opened from the inside, enabling prisoners to receive drugs via drones. Seventeen inmates died at HMP Parc in 2024. According to G4S, at least five deaths were drug-related. Inspectors warned of 'a spate of tragic deaths', linking the failures directly to G4S being awarded a fresh 10-year contract to run the prison, despite a significant decline in safety standards since 2022. Mental health failings Mr Petryszyn, who disclosed childhood trauma and PTSD symptoms to a prison GP in October 2021, was prescribed fluoxetine, later paired with mirtazapine. The ombudsman criticised this combination, noting that only a specialist doctor should have prescribed two antidepressants of that class concurrently. Worse still, when Mr Petryszyn was seen by mental health staff again in February 2022, they failed to consider the PTSD diagnosis noted earlier. This failure, alongside inappropriate prescribing by a non-clinical pharmacist, highlighted serious gaps in Parc's mental health provision. Official response In a formal action plan, HMP Parc has now accepted all recommendations made by the ombudsman. G4S claims it has updated its drug reduction strategy, issued new training for staff on medication supervision and CSIP procedures, and reinforced policies on in-person delivery of official documents. But critics say these reforms come too late. Twelve inmates died at Parc in the two years leading up to Mr Petryszyn's death—with further deaths since—and the pattern of staff misconduct, drug access, and medical negligence appears to continue. A system under pressure Acting Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Kimberley Bingham said: 'While we are satisfied that prison staff submitted intelligence reports and acted on them by conducting searches and drug tests, we remain seriously concerned about the availability of psychoactive substances at Parc.' She added that both prescribed and illicit drugs must be tackled, and that failure to deliver paperwork correctly may have cost Mr Petryszyn his life. With the coroner's conclusion now delivered and yet another critical inspection on the record, the question remains: how many more lives will be lost before systemic change is delivered at HMP Parc?
Express Tribune
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Govt seeks PARC chief's suspension
The government sent a summary to the president for the suspension of Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali, the chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (Parc) for his poor performance, despite the fact that he was awarded the prestigious Sitara-e-Imtiaz award only two weeks ago. Dr Ali was among the national honours list on Pakistan Day on March 23. He was given the award for his excellent work in the field of agriculture. The next day he received PM Shehbaz Sharif at a seminar on aeroponic potato farming organised by Parc. On the occasion the PM enquired about cotton cultivation but Dr Ali replied that he was not being allowed to work in that field.
