Statewide inspections of blood banks ordered

Jaipur: Health department will launch statewide inspections of blood banks after a Union health ministry order dated Jan 15 flagged serious shortcomings in blood bank management.SMS Medical College, Jaipur, has been roped in to support the exercise and has deputed a six-member team of doctors as expert evaluators. The inspections will assess operational and management practices at blood centres across the state, and findings will be used to initiate corrective steps and ensure compliance.The expert panel comprising Dr Lokesh Sharma, Dr Ankit Sharma, Dr Durgesh Tiwari, Dr Hukam Singh Meena, Dr Jitendra Kumar Bagadiya and Dr Vishal Kumar Mangal, will conduct inspections focusing on mandatory screening of every blood unit for transfusion-transmitted infections, including HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, malaria and syphilis, to improve recipient safety. The department will also review whether centres are strengthening testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C using fourth-generation CLIA/ELISA methods. Blood units found reactive for these infections are to be discarded under the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016.Teams will verify adherence to standard operating procedures across the donation-to-issue chain, with attention to donor selection, pre-donation counselling, and systems for recall and referral of reactive donors. Centres will be assessed on whether reactive donors are permanently removed from the donor pool. Inspectors will also examine efforts to reduce dependence on replacement donations and increase voluntary, non-remunerated regular donors, with support from the State Blood Transfusion Council.Officials said the audit will check whether blood centres are operating with valid licences and meeting regulatory requirements on infrastructure, staffing, equipment and processes under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Additionally, centres have been directed to follow statutory provisions and National Blood Transfusion Council standards, including the National Standards for Blood Centres & Blood Transfusion Services (2022), Transfusion Medicine Technical Manual (2023), EQAS Operational Guidelines (2024), Guideline for Voluntary Blood Donation (2024) and revised Donor Selection and Referral Guidelines (2025).