Many of Delhi’s blood banks run sans licence
NEW DELHI: Nearly half the blood banks in the national capital run without a licence, a report from an NGO has revealed.The report, prepared by BloodConnect, which works to connect blood donors with those who need blood, states that the main reason for the blood banks not having a licence is delay in the renewal process. According to the report, of the 68 blood banks, both government and private, in the national capital, 32 are functioning with an invalid or expired licence.
Around 10 government blood banks, three private ones and 16 blood banks attached to private hospitals were found to be functioning without proper licensing, the report states.“Of these, two blood banks had been functioning without renewing their licence for more than four years, three for periods ranging from six months to one year, and the remaining 27 for 25 days to six months. Also, the licences of two blood banks were renewed six years after expiry, and of one 10 years after expiry,” said Anirban Mukhopadhyay, head of Delhi operations of BloodConnect.
Licences to blood banks in Delhi are approved by the drug control department of the Delhi government.
“The department allows the blood banks to function till orders regarding the status of the renewal application are communicated to the respective blood banks. Hence, legally the blood banks are not in a soup,” an official of the drug control department said. However, the official admitted that the need of the hour was to formulate a timeline for completion of inspections after the application for renewal is received.
“This is a major overhaul needed in the rules. Once this is done, there will not be any issue relating to renewal,” the official said.
Officials at the blood banks agree that the tedious process of licence renewal has given rise to this situation.“If the process is streamlined, we will renew our licences as and when required. We do this to help people. Official issues should not come in our way,” an administrative officer at the Brahm Shakti Blood Bank said on condition of anonymity.
The report also says that voluntary blood donation is declining. According to the report, the percentage of voluntary donations fell from 54.55 per cent in 2015-16 to 45.20 per cent in 2016-17.“Most blood banks rely on replacement donors, who are relatives or friends of the patient and donate blood in lieu of the blood used for their kin’s treatment,” the report states.
Hospitals, on the other hand, say they request blood from banks as it is their duty to protect ailing citizens. “The licences (or their renewal) of blood banks is totally up to the blood bank. We realize that somewhere accountability is lost if something goes wrong, but our first priority is to save lives,” a doctor at LNJP Hospital said.
