The State Drugs Control Authority is set to conduct surprise inspection of blood banks and nursing homes indulging in malpractices reported by Blood Donor Organizations. A decision to this effect was taken in a high-level meeting attended by Government officials and members of Blood Donor Organizations life Savers Ranchi and Voluntary Blood Donors Association, (Ranchi Branch) here on Friday.
Issues related to promotion of voluntary blood donation, guidelines to blood banks for storage and easy availability of blood and issuance of blood units to private hospitals by Government Blood Banks were discussed in the meeting, wherein a number of decisions were taken in coherence with the National Blood Policy and the ruling of Gujarat High Court in case Writ Petition (PIl No. 159/2011).
As per the decisions the State Drugs Control Authorities will be issuing strict orders regarding halting the malpractice of charging security money by Blood Banks. Also, implementation of National Blood Policy stating non profiteering through blood will be done. If any case of security money being charged is reported then FIR will be lodged by Jharkhand State Blood Transfusion Council and Blood Donor Organizations.
It was decided that the practice of bleeding of donors at nursing homes and private hospital for transfusion of blood is illegal and State Drugs Control Authority will investigate and take necessary action. Jharkhand State Blood Transfusion Council will withhold issuance of non- objection certificates to Blood Banks against whom complains are filed.
The stakeholders of the meeting decided that all organizations and educational institutes will be requested to take an undertaking from the blood banks that no security money will be charged by them before inviting them for blood donation camps. It was decide also affirmed that there should be no tie up between private blood banks and nursing homes / private hospitals as no one can be compelled to take blood from private blood banks only. If the matter persists then Jharkhand State Blood Transfusion Council will withhold issuance of non objection certificates to the concerned blood banks.
The meeting was presided by Member Secretary Jharkhand State Blood Transfusion Council cum Project Director Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society Ashish Singhmar and attended by Ritu Sahay , Joint Director, Drugs , Dr B P Chourasia, Additional Project Director, Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society, Dr Sushma Kumari, In-Charge Blood Bank RIMS, Dr K K Singh, Medical Officer Blood Bank RIMS, Atul Gera, Arup Chakraborty, Ashim Kr Banerjee, J.R.Kali, Abhay Sagar Minz, Sagar Madnani, Dr SK Mandal and JN Sokey.