Vijayawada: Blood banks told to strictly adhere to new guidelines

Vijayawada (NTR District): The Central government has issued fresh guidelines to blood banks across the country and directed them to stick to them scrupulously in blood collection and processing of blood components, said GS Navin Kumar, the Project Director of Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society.

He said in a statement here on Tuesday that the AIDS Control Department (ACD) under the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare issued the latest guidelines, which will be revised every three years. Stern action will be taken against blood banks if they did not follow them. People could lodge complaints through tollfree number 14400 if they found any corruption in blood banks.

National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) formed a technical working group to review the blood collection and processing charges and the charges collected by blood banks for the services. The Union Ministry had accepted the recommendations of the group and released the latest guidelines.

Referring to the latest processing charges, Navin Kumar said that Rs 1,100 would be charged in government blood banks for full processing of one unit of blood, Rs 1,100 per unit for packed red blood cells. Likewise, in private blood banks, Rs 1,550 for full processing of one unit of blood and Rs 1,550 for red blood cells. The plasma exchange therapy charge is also fixed at Rs 1,600 per litre in both the government and private blood banks.

The revised charges include additional charges and blood banks should not collect any additional charges, he stated.

The Central government suggested to the State Blood Transfusion Councils to set up expert committees to examine the inclusion of the processing charges for blood test. The Central government had also made it clear that the government and private blood banks should supply blood free of cost to Thalassemia, Haemophilia and sickle cell anaemia patients.