The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Accreditation for blood banks soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 19, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Accreditation for blood banks soon

C. Maya

State for improving the quality and safety

Thiruvananthapuram: The State Blood Transfusion Council has initiated the process of accrediting all blood banks in the State for improving the quality and safety of the collection, processing, testing and administration of blood and blood products.

The quality control and standardisation of blood banks, encouraging non-remunerative voluntary blood donation activities and promoting the rational use of blood and blood products are part of the efforts being launched by the authorities to plug the loopholes in blood safety.

This is the first time that an attempt is being made to standardise the 137 licensed blood banks in the State, 33 of which are in the Government sector. Recently, a set of guidelines was also issued to ensure that all blood banks met the criteria for appropriate storage and testing conditions.

All blood banks have been asked to register with the council. Accreditation would be granted only if an expert committee gives its approval after inspections.

As part of the action plan for blood safety put forth by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the council is now engaged in the calibration, validation and maintenance of equipment in all blood banks in the Government sector. Periodic inspections are being carried out to ensure that proper storage conditions for blood products are being maintained in all blood banks. The training of technical and other paramedical staff working in these institutions have also begun.

The council's responsibilities as far as ensuring blood safety are immense, for, as per the recent amendments in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, the Drugs Controller can issue licence to any blood bank only on the basis of the recommendation by the council. However, the council, with its skeletal staff, poor infrastructure and paucity of funds has been finding it difficult to carry on with its activities.

The council, chaired by the Health Secretary, has all top officials in the Health Department as its members. The council functions under the national council, which is directly under the NACO. Thus the Centre and the State has to put in equal share to fund the council's activities. NACO has already given Rs.15 lakhs to the council so far for blood safety programmes. Except for the sum of Rs.1 lakh given in 2003, the State Government is yet to earmark any allocation for the council in the budget.

On the one hand, the Government talks about taking stringent blood safety measures in the State while on the other, no efforts have been re made to ensure that the agency responsible for improving blood safety can function effectively.

The council had submitted a proposal for Rs.188 lakhs to the Government for the accreditation and networking of all blood banks and implementing quality assurance programmes but this has not seen the light.

Blood donation

Voluntary blood donation is the backbone of any blood safety programme but the concept is yet to take off in the State in a big way. Unlike States like West Bengal or Gujarat, where non-remunerative voluntary blood donation accounts for nearly 100 per cent of the blood collected, in the State it is yet to reach the half-way mark. Voluntary blood donation has gone up slightly, from 41 per cent in 2004 to 42 per cent in 2005, reports Kerala State AIDS Control Society.

Professional blood donors are turned down by all blood banks now. The council would like to phase out replacement donation but the State is yet to build a network of regular voluntary donors. A network of one lakh voluntary blood donors would take care of the State's requirement of blood because there is still a wide gap in the requirement of blood and the number of units collected. While the requirement of blood is estimated at about three lakh units, last year, all the blood banks together could collect only 1.7 lakh units of blood.

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