HC asks state govt to keep a tab on pvt blood banks

Acting on a public interest litigation (PIL) that has sought regularisation of blood donation activities and to make sure that the poor patients get proper blood in time of need,the Gujarat High Court (HC) on Saturday ordered the state government to form a nine-member committee that would include Additional Chief Secretary (Health Department) to ensure setting up of a system through which activities of private blood banks could be regulated and profiteering in selling blood and its components could be checked.

A division bench of the HC comprising of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala passed an order in this regard on a PIL moved by one Ashok Naik. Acting on the PIL,the court passed a number of directions to the state government like to ensure that each of the blood banks are affiliated either with a government hospital or with a municipal hospital and that each of them provide a specified quota of blood to these hospitals either free of cost or at concessional rates.

Naik’s counsel,Parth Contractor,said that the court has held that because there was no clarity in law on profiteering and on regulating the activities of blood banks,the blood banks were getting a free hand.