Metro Beijing: Hospitals' blood demands make patients angry

BEIJING - To increase their blood supply, hospitals are threatening to not perform surgery on patients whose relatives have not donated blood, three patients told China Daily.

If the allegations are true, the hospitals are ignoring the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, which has said that hospitals should not coerce patients into getting their relatives or friends to give blood.

In response to the allegations, the health bureau reiterated its policy on Wednesday, saying hospitals should only be encouraging the relatives of patients to donate blood, not forcing them.