‘Blood banks charging 4x for excess plasma’

Mumbai: There are blood banks in Maharashtra that have been profiteering by selling excess plasma to fractionators for Rs 7,000 per litre, said State Blood Transfusion Council's (SBTC) director Dr Suhas Mohnalkar on Tuesday. As per the norms, blood banks are allowed to charge Rs 1,600 per litre.At a review meeting with over 200 blood transfusion officers, Dr Mohnalkar said, "We are coming up with a policy to prevent some of these issues."SBTC has come up with a 50-point inspection checklist for blood banks.Dr Mohnalkar said another issue plaguing the system is over-collection, even as there is severe shortage of blood periodically. Last year, of 3.9 lakh units collected in the state, about 3.9% was wasted, mostly because of over-collection. Once someone donates blood, they can't make another donation for 3-4 months. —Eshan Kalyanikar