Pune, July 8: Despite all the care and safety measures adopted by blood banks, out of around 85,000 donors who between them accounted for 1 lakh units of blood collected in the city in 2007, at least 500 people were HIV positive.

This was revealed in a study conducted from January to December last year by the Jan Kalyan chain of voluntary blood banks and medical services. The finding has underlined the need for standardisation and accreditation of services at not just blood banks but at nursing homes and tertiary hospitals as well.

According to Dr Dileep Wani, national president of the Jan Kalyan chain of voluntary blood banks and medical services and member of the State Blood Transfusion Council, despite asking people to give detailed and proper information about their high risk behaviour while donating blood, it is not being done.

“We have a set of questions that ask the voluntary blood donor about their status — whether they have multiple partners or whether they are homosexuals. We expect basic honesty from people while answering these questions as at the time of collection of blood we cannot test the samples for their HIV status immediately,” Wani said.

“They do not point out whether they engage in prostitution. This creates problems and despite all safety precautions, at least 500 people out of an approximate 85,000 who donated blood were found to be HIV positive,” he said.

Now, for the first time, the government has issued guidelines to tackle problems like these and has released a booklet for standardisation of blood banks and nursing homes in the country. In Pune, Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences (SIHS) has been given the charge of sensitising nursing homes, dispensaries, hospitals and blood banks to adhere to the new guidelines.

“Even as there is no standardisation of patient care services, an attempt is being made for the first time all across the country to sensitise doctors and administration at hospitals,” said SIHS Director Rajiv Yeravdekar. The Quality Council of India, through the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care Organisations, has set up guidelines and released it in the form of a booklet Standards on blood banks/ blood centres/ transfusion services. Both Yeravdekar and Wani will conduct a workshop on July 27 to create awareness about the guidelines.