Himachal Pradesh’s Blood Banking System in Crisis, Supreme Court Orders Violated : Ajay

Shimla, 3 February: The blood banking system in Himachal Pradesh is severely flawed, with the health department openly disregarding Supreme Court orders and related laws. Bureaucratic negligence has led to the stagnation of the State Blood Transfusion Council, formed under the chairmanship of the Health Secretary. Despite being mandated by the Supreme Court, this council has not been reorganized, and it has not convened a meeting for over eight years. Due to this mismanagement, many major blood banks fail to provide timely blood to patients, increasing the risk of illegal blood trade.

Ajay Srivastava, President of Umang Foundation, an organization active in blood donation and social service, revealed this during a press conference. He mentioned that a letter was sent to the Chief Minister, urging immediate action on this violation of Supreme Court orders and laws.

In the case of Common Cause v. Government of India (CWP 91/1992), the Supreme Court delivered a historic judgment on January 4, 1996, ordering the establishment of the National Blood Transfusion Council at the national level and State Blood Transfusion Councils in all states, including Himachal Pradesh. The council was tasked with overseeing blood bank operations, ensuring the safety of blood supplies, and educating voluntary donors. However, in Himachal Pradesh, the council has remained mostly inactive and is only operational on paper.

As a result of this breakdown, major blood banks, including those at Indira Gandhi Medical College, suffer from staffing shortages and a lack of resources. The absence of the council has led to a failure in meeting the national goal of 100% component-based blood transfusion. Blood components like plasma, platelets, and red blood cells, which could potentially help multiple patients from a single unit, remain underutilized. The lack of specialized machines like apheresis, which can extract only the necessary blood component, further exacerbates the issue.

The health department’s failure to adhere to the National Blood Policy and other related regulations puts the safety of patients at risk, with the growing possibility of illegal blood trade. Ajay Srivastava has demanded that the Chief Minister intervene immediately, ensure compliance with the Supreme Court’s orders, and take action against the responsible officials in the health department.