Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, June 24: In the wake of reports of transfusion of botched up bloods to patients at Burla and Balasore, the state government Friday chalked out plans to strengthen blood banks and said it has issued advisory to blood banks and hospitals to follow standard operating procedure (SOP) and protocol on blood screening and transfusion.
“We have issued advisory to be followed by blood bank and hospital staff on blood storing, screening and transfusion Thursday,” said health secretary Arti Ahuja after attending a meeting on strengthening blood banks chaired by health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, adding, “Officials failing to adhere to the SOP will be taken to task.”
The health minister admitted after the meeting that to overcome staff crunch at blood banks the government will soon appoint 60 laboratory technicians and more data entry operators.
He said the government had directed all concerned officials to ensure that they follow guidelines in terms of collection and storage of blood units. The government has sanctioned `5crore for equipment, Nayak said. “We are sanctioning `16crore more for developing infrastructure at blood banks.”
He said no official will be spared if someone has failed to follow government instructions in terms of collection and storage of blood.
Nayak, meanwhile, has asked officials of the three medical colleges and hospitals in addition to the head of Capital Hospital at Bhubaneswar to ensure benefits of NAT-PCR testing facility that has been launched recently.
Currently, the state has 86 blood banks which collect around 4 lakh units of blood units per annum.
Notably, three botched up blood transfusion cases have been reported in the state. The incident came to the light first at Burla, where an alleged transfusion of HIV positive-blood into a 65-year-old man from Rairakhol at VSS Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) had taken place June 10, while, hepatitis C blood was also allegedly injected into another person on the same day.
While, the hospital authorities denied transfusion of hepatitis C-infected blood, they are mum over transfusion of HIV infected blood into another patient.
Ironically, another shocking case of transfusion of Hepatitis C blood into a three-year-old girl has revealed the awful state of affairs in the state’s health sector. Ahuja said, “The state government has sought reports from the concerned revenue divisional commission in this regard and action will be taken accordingly.”