Blood banks in Andhra Pradesh on HIV alert

All the 233 blood banks operating in the southern indian state of Andhra Pradesh have been put on high alert following an incident of HIV infected blood allegedly supplied by a private blood bank.

Andhra Pradesh drug control administration has intensified inspections in all the 233 blood banks in the state, according to R P Meena, the Director General of Drug Control Administration in Andhra Pradesh.

The drug control administration targets to ensuring all the blood bank units are operating with proper equipment like Elisa Readers and whether they are following the norms laid down for blood banks working in the country under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act of India.

Inspectors from drug control administration Andhra Pradesh has so far conducted raids in 214 blood banks and samples were taken for analytical testing, according to R P Meena.

The remaining blood banks will be inspected before the end of this month. The drug regulatory authorities will make the results of the inspections available by June 15.

All the blood samples recovered from other blood banks in the state were rested HIV negative and they can be used for distribution.

The state drug authorities have also taken steps to cancel the licence of the suspected Jagruti Blood Bank in Rajahmundry town in coastal Andhra, which has allegedly supplied the HIV-infected blood.

Jagruti Blood Bank in Rajahmundry has already stopped operations.The department has already issued a production suspension order to the bank, reports said.

The alleged HIV infected blood obtained from the private blood bank in Rajahmundry was administered to an injured police constable recently.

The police constable was taken to a private hospital following a road accident in Kakinada in Rajamundri. He was administered blood obtained from Jagruti Blood Bank. Later it was found that the blood was HIV infected.

Relatives of the constable bought two sachets of blood from the blood bank, on the advice of doctors. One of the sachets was injected into the policeman. As his condition worsened, he was shifted to a major hospital. The doctors tested the other blood sachet and found that it was infected with HIV, reportes quoting sources from the drugs control department said.

The incident made the health department OF Andhra Pradesh to form a five-member committee headed by the District Medical and Health Officer of East Godavari district to conduct an enquiry. The committee in its report to the government stated that the police constable was administered with HIV infected blood procured from a private blood bank in Rajahmundry.

The Rajahmundri police have registered a separate case against the blood bank which was later sealed. The police has also booked a case against its owner, G. Nageswara Rao, and was arrested.

The health ministry under Andhra Pradesh government is also in the process of formulating new guidelines for proper running of blood banks in the State.

Government of India published in the year 2002 the National Blood Policy. The objective of the policy is to provide safe, adequate quantity of blood, blood components and products. The main aim of the policy is to procure non remunerated regular blood donors by the blood banks.

The policy also addresses various issues with regard to technical personnel, research , development and to eliminate profiteering by the blood banks by selling blood.

The policy also envisages that fresh licences to stand alone blood banks in private sector shall not be granted and renewal of such blood banks shall be subjected to thorough scrutiny.

Due to prevalence of AIDS virus, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (Govt. of India) issued a notification in the year 1989 under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules and made the test HIV 1&2 antibodies of Whole Human Blood as mandatory requirement before transfusion.

It is imperative that each unit of blood and blood products were regulated in the year 1990 and 3 laboratories viz. NICD Delhi, NIV Pune and CMC, Vellore were notified to function as laboratory under 3A of Drugs and Cosmetics Rules to test HIV antibodies in respect of human blood and human blood products.