Committee to Rate and Regulate Blood Banks in India

A five-member committee to rate blood banks throughout the country has been appointed by the Quality Council of India (QCI). This committee will have two year tenure and regulate blood banks across India and ensure that the blood provided to patients is safe. This initiative is an attempt to bring down incidence of infections like HIV and hepatitis. The committee will function under the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and will inspect and recommend accreditation for blood banks.

This accreditation will be given only if the blood banks ensure that the blood volume is correct and no mixing of blood cells takes place after components like platelets, white blood cells (WBC's) and red blood cells (RBC's) are isolated. Presently the state drug control directorates issue license and also monitor all the blood banks.

The committee will be chaired by Dr. Bharat Singh of GTB hospital, Delhi. Other members of the board include Dr. R. C. Khurana of the Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi, Dr. Sukesh Nair of Christian Medical College in Vellore and Dr. B. K. Rana, deputy director of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals.

Source: Medindia