"Hospital Information Service has the ability to browse more than 3,600 medical journals published around the world, search for information on the availability and effectiveness of many bloodless surgery and treatment techniques. The Service then transmits information on medical developments to the Hospital Liaison Committees, as well as to some doctors. ... This Service informs the Committees of judicial decisions in our favor ... The Service also has a list of doctors who are willing to cooperate with us, so when there are problems with blood transfusions, the Committees can use the latest data. The Hospital Information Service oversees the training and activities of the Hospital Liaison Committees."

As already seen above, there are serious doubts about the competence of these special services in medical matters, since the professionalism of the publications of the Society on Blood recommended by them has already been analyzed by us.

The idea of "court decisions in our favor" is interesting. It turns out that the main task of the Hospital Information Service is by no means an objective consultation, which is possible only on the basis of objective information, but, first of all, as always, namely, the promotion of one's own ideas, for which it is quite enough to know only about the decisions "in our favor".

In the book [2], the section "Those Who Need Medical Attention and Face the Issue of Blood Need Special Help" provides basic guidelines for what congregation elders should do if a member of the congregation is admitted to the hospital and needs to make decisions about blood transfusions.

"Even before they reach the hospital, some may need help to make sure that the medico-legal papers have been properly drawn up and that the necessary interviews have taken place with the medical professionals to avoid blood transfusions (g 8-IV-91, pp. 3-8).

Visit the patient in the hospital.

Pray with the sick, strengthen and comfort him, as well as relatives, for example, the parents of a sick child (James 5:13).

If a patient is faced with a blood issue, the elders CAN do a lot to keep the situation calm, to have explanatory conversations with doctors and unbelieving relatives.

In rare cases, the situation requires round-the-clock duty.

The Hospital Liaison Committee should be called only when the patient needs a cooperative doctor, when confrontation develops, or when there is still a danger that the patient will be forced to bleed.

All elders should have a copy of the list containing the names and telephone numbers of the members of the committee. Keep it in an easily accessible folder, along with suitable reference materials, such as the Reader's Questions in the Watchtower, June 1, 1990, pages 30, 31, and August 1, 1989, pages 22, 23.

Committee members can help you: find doctors, hospitals, etc., who are willing to cooperate; have explanatory conversations with doctors about alternatives to blood.

We must be prudent in determining what help, if any, can be given for humanitarian reasons to persons who are not of good repute in the congregation.

For example, if a disfellowshipped person takes a firm stance on the issue of blood, local elders or the Hospital Liaison Committee could share the information with the family out of respect for faithful family members.