Maha SBTC cracks down on plasma profiteering by blood banks
Mumbai: The State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) has taken steps to prevent the misuse of donated blood and prepared a 50-point inspection checklist for blood banks across the state to curb profiteering through the sale of excess plasma at inflated prices.
On Tuesday, Dr Suhas Mohnalkar, Director of the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC), stated that there are certain blood banks in Maharashtra that are making a profit by selling excess plasma to fractionators at a rate of ₹7,000 per litre.
However, according to the existing rules, blood banks are permitted to charge only ₹1,600 per litre.
In this regard, a review meeting was also held with over 200 blood transfusion officers. During the meeting, Dr Mohankar stated, "We are introducing a policy to prevent some of these problems”, reports TOI.
Meanwhile, the SBTC has prepared a 50-point inspection checklist for blood banks.
Dr Mohanlkar stated that another issue within the system is 'over-collection', even as severe blood shortages persist from time to time. Last year, approximately 3.9% of the 390,000 units collected in the state went to waste, a loss primarily attributed to over-collection.
Therefore, once an individual donates blood, they are unable to donate again for the next 3 to 4 months.
Earlier this year, Medical Dialogues had reported that the Union Health Ministry had flagged serious shortcomings in the functioning of blood banks across Rajasthan, raising questions over patient safety and the quality of blood transfusion services in the state.
Following inspections, the Centre found multiple lapses, including poor record-keeping, inadequate ELISA testing, and failure to report HIV-positive cases to the State AIDS Control Society.
In a letter dated January 15, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava wrote to Rajasthan Principal Secretary (Health) Gayatri Rathore, stressing that blood transfusion services are a core pillar of patient care and calling for sustained attention to regulatory compliance, quality standards and robust operational practices to ensure safe, quality-assured blood and blood components.
