Following HIV and Hepatitis C blood transfusion row in the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla, startling revelations over running of blood banks at Government hospitals come out, raising doubts in proper test of bloods and their transfusion.
Most of the blood banks in the State are allegedly run by contractual employees, whose wage per day is between Rs 100 and Rs 300.
Out of total 83 blood banks, 57 are operating in State-run hospitals.
An officer (a doctor), a technician and a data entry operator are appointed to run a blood bank. It is marked that the officer has been in additional charge in most of the blood banks. But in reality, many blood banks are operated by technicians as the in-charge doctors remain busy with private practices.
Currently, there are around 200 technicians working at the blood banks and most of them are contractual. The responsibility of the technicians is to collect blood from the patients’ relatives, examine it and provide blood required for the patients concerned.
Apart from it, they play a prime role in blood donation programmes held at various places. They bring the collected bloods to the blood banks and only find time in the afternoons to take care of the patients.
The technicians, who work for average 8-18 hours per day, get contractual wage ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 9,000 per month. They do not enjoy any holidays or other facilities. Even they face wage reduction for off days. Though contractual, they play major roles in saving patients’ lives.
When technicians are given paltry amounts, which is less than a hospital sweeper gets, how the Government will expect quality services from them, wanted to know a former Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department.
Despite their repeated demands for a minimum salary and basic facilities, the Government has not paid any attention to the demands for long, rued some technicians.
While the employees working in the blood banks in neighboring States are the Government employees, their counterparts in Odisha neither belong to the Red Cross nor rated as Government staff.
Meanwhile, many blood donors have demanded that the blood bank technicians be regularized under the Health and Family Welfare Department