The Central Red Cross Blood Bank here has begun to draw concern as vital functions like blood collection and transfusion services are carried out without doctors.
For the last two months, the largest blood bank facility of the State is functioning without minimum required doctors or physicians and blood collection along with other basic operations are undertaken by the technicians. The lack of doctors has not only hit services in the blood bank, but also is poised to be deemed as a violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, which has stipulated appointment of adequate number of doctors for the vital functions. As per the guidelines, a donor has to be screened to be fit for giving blood before he does so. A physician or medical officer is mandatory for reviewing the donor’s health and conducting his physical examination before he proceeds to donate blood. Blood in a blood bank should be drawn by a qualified physician or assistants under his direct supervision. The physician should be present where blood is collected.
However, the blood bank, which has a daily collection of over 100 units and boasts of collections to the tune of 40,000 units per year, including voluntary donations, has become completely dependent on technicians for everything. According to sources, there are around five technicians, who are conducting everything from pre-donation physical review of the donor to collection to post-donation examination. The component separation unit of the blood bank is also entirely in the hands of technicians. “
True, the Director of the blood bank is a medical officer, but managing the administration along with directly supervising all donation, transfusion services and component separation is impossible for any single person. There were four doctors at one point of time and the number has gradually shrunk to zero since June 5 as one after another either left or ended contracts”, a source said.
The blood bank authorities, however, claimed that the functioning had not been affected due to lack of doctors. “We are in the process of recruiting new doctors. One doctor has already been appointed and will be joining soon. I am personally supervising and monitoring collections to separation”, Director Benudhar Satpathy said. Voluntary donation camps are being conducted as usual as private doctors and physicians are being hired for the purpose, he added.
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