Health department of south China's Guangdong Province confirmed yesterday that gangs have made profit by illegally organizing people to sell blood in the province's Jieyang City.

The government of Jieyang has took "immediate and effective" actions to crack down on the illegal practice and has been carrying out thorough investigation on the blood collection at the city's central collection points, the department said late on Saturday night in a press release.

Investigation also shows that the "donors" sell blood often under a false name and the official documents on them are not complete, according to the department.

The department set up a task force on Wednesday to investigate the case after media disclose that gangs have organized several hundred of "professional blood sellers" to sell blood to local collection points, and they have made thousands of US dollars by taking commissions.

Reports also said the sellers, who sell blood around 10 times a month, have been given medicine that allowed them to sell blood frequently.

The practice goes against the law on the donation of blood. The law, which was introduced in 1998, forbids donors to give blood more than once every six months.

The department said that "to protect people's safety and health and to ensure the safety of blood using", all the governments in Guangdong have been required to carry out an examination on blood safety in collection points, hospitals and clinics and to strengthen supervision on blood collection.

Further investigation into the case is underway.

(Shanghai Daily April 9, 2007)