To the Editor: The Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) introduced a national policy for therapeutic venesection in December 1999 which allows the collection of blood from people with haemochromatosis. There is no charge for this service.

The policy outlines the principles under which ARCBS provides a therapeutic venesection service, conditions of management of the donors and the acceptability of the donations for clinical use.1 These conditions are:

• The patient's condition benefits from regular venesection and the patient does not have a transfusion-transmissible disease.

• The blood donation will be used in clinical or derivative products only if the donors fully meet the donor selection guidelines for clinical use.

• Responsibility for patient management remains with the referring physician.

• ARCBS is responsible for the collection and for ensuring donor safety during the procedure. We will liaise with referring physicians about the venesection protocol if necessary, and reserve the right to refuse to venesect if there is a concern for donor safety.

A diagnosis of hereditary haemochromatosis (evidence of iron overload together with appropriate genetic studies2) is required before patients are accepted into the therapeutic venesection program.

Contact your local ARCBS for copies of the therapeutic request form. Completion of this will facilitate the entry of people to the ARCBS therapeutic program.

The full policy can be obtained from our website <www.arcbs.redcross.org.au>.