China's increasing demand for healthcare has caused a shortage of human blood that forces patients to buy blood in the black market.

Reports say some desperate patients that need blood buy certificates from black market agents or blood heads, permitting them to gain access to state blood banks.

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The blood famine surfaced after the Chinese governments attempted to restore faith in the nation's blood supply and encourage donors. But it also caused a side-effect: a black market at the heart of the country's healthcare system.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, local officials urged farmers to sell their blood and plasma. An earlier generation of blood heads sold these to hospitals and blood banks. Tens of thousands blood contracted HIV through unhygienic practices.

A law was introduced by China in 1998 to ban the commercial sale of blood and encourage voluntary donation. The law also allowed patients to get access to the national supply by simply presenting a certificate showing that they, their friends or relatives had donated blood.

This rule severely affects chronically ill patients who depend on regular or large transfusions and those that cannot count on family and friends.

The Chinese law also limits individual whole blood donations to twice a year.

To meet the demand for blood, a new generation of blood heads has moved in, paying people off the street to donate blood at a state blood bank and selling their donation certificates to those in need.

Some local governments are resorting to unusual public campaigns to recruit new donors.

Tagsblack market, blood famine, lack of blood supply, black market agents, blood head, Chinese patients, blood, plasma, blood donation, blood transfusion, blood donor, Blood shortage