What is Phlebotomy?
Farzana, a woman who works in the heart of Mazar-e-Sharif in the phlebotomy/cupping department (taking blood from the patient’s body), believes that many chronic and severe pains can be cured through cupping.
Without providing any scientific reason, he says that phlebotomy is not related to today or yesterday, but has been used as a treatment method for centuries.
“In the past years, two to three people came daily, but now six to seven people come and receive treatment.”
Most of Farzana’s patients are old women and mothers who come to her for treatment of leg pain, backache and other physical pain not only from Balkh but also from Jawzjan, Sarpol and Faryab provinces.
A 55-year-old woman alias Jamila, a resident of Faryab province, said that she has performed phlebotomy twice for backache treatment and has drawn a lot of blood from her body.
Jamila said about the effects of cupping: “In the past few years, I didn’t think about cupping and mostly used doctor’s medicines. But when my condition got very bad, Farzana encouraged me to for bloodletting.”
Although the exact statistics of local medicine clients have not been provided by any independent institution, the reason for phlebotomy increasing is considered to be poverty and a lack of health clinics.
Usman, one of the Jawzjan province residents, said that he wants to treat himself in this way to get rid of a headache.
“I have a headache and I’m getting pimples. I’m going to have a bloodletting and hopefully, I’ll get better, it’s my first time doing it.”
Also, Khan Nazar, one of the residents of the Chaharbulak district of Balkh province, said that phlebotomy/cupping therapy is cheap and accessible, and you can treat yourself with little money.
“Our clinics need professional doctors, and we also need night doctors in our clinics, because our villages are far from the city centre.”
However, Najibullah Tawana, head of public health in Balkh, says that this department is planning to build a 50-bed hospital in Chaharbulak and Chamtal districts.
“We have a plan to build a 50-bed hospital so that all the health problems of the people such as operations and treatment can be solved in this hospital.”
What do the experts think?
Is phlebotomy approved by health professionals? This is a question that many are asking and searching for its answer. Asadullah Momand, the former head of the blood bank of the Abu Ali Sina-e Balkhi seminary hospital says about cupping (drawing blood from the human body) blood donation has its benefits, but this blood donation and blood taking should be done by professionals.
He added that in these years, infectious diseases have increased among the people and the blood of each patient must be tested and controlled many times in advanced laboratories to not be contaminated with microbes or viruses.
“I must say about phlebotomy that there is a risk of contaminating with its equipment. Giving blood is good work, but cupping is not a good action.”
Some other doctors do not consider phlebotomy harmless and say that some diseases will be transmitted to a person in this way; which the officials of phlebotomy treatment centres reject.
Atiqullah Aqil, another person who is busy with cupping work in Mazar-e-Sharif, says that he cleans his equipment like a doctor every time in a standard manner. He considered cupping to be useful for some pains and diseases, but he says that it is not useful for every disease, and it should be done after examinations.
“Those who have blood fat and liver, their blood fat and liver are reduced and their diabetes is also treated, but those who have back pain, nerve pain, or stomach and headache, they are not only treated by taking blood but also Their pain will be doubled.”
However, so far there is no consensus regarding the usefulness and harm of this treatment method.
Dr. Hashmatullah, one of the doctors in Faryab province said that now more people are turning to cupping because phlebotomy equipment has become standard and its risks have decreased compared to the past.
“People are more interested now compared to before. Because now our equipment is healthier and more machines are available to us.”
Legal aspect
According to the enforced laws of our country and the regulations of the Ministry of Public Health, the issuance of activity licenses, control and care of health services is related to the inspection department and the health laws of the Ministry of Public Health.
And we asked Dr Javed Saraji, head of the Department of Inspection and Health Laws of the Department of Public Health of Balkh province, regarding this method of treatment.
He said about that the work permit for phlebotomy; ‘the regulation of the activity of this method treatment is under review in the Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan and those who are active in this field will be dealt with according to the regulation.
“I must say that phlebotomy is a traditional treatment and public health does not have any particular problem in this regard. Cuppers should choose a good and clean place and use alcohol and antiseptic. We just check their usable equipment.”
Regarding their work permit, he said that work is going on in the Ministry of Public Health and a decision will be made after the Ministry’s regulation is finalized.
It should be said that according to health experts, a large number of people are not aware of health issues and when they get sick, they resort to anyways for treatment. In addition, poverty and economic problems are considered as other factors of people turning to local and self-treatments.
Translated by: Sadaf Yarmal
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