All blood banks to be registered in Punjab:Dr Saeed Elahi

Lahore: Parliamentary Secretary Health Punjab Dr. Saeed Elahi has said that it was decided to bring the all blood banks of Punjab in a streamline of license for provision of healthy blood and no blood bank would be operated without license. He said that this decision would be a milestone for eradication of fatal diseases like Hepatitis C and AIDS.

He was presiding over a meeting of Punjab Blood Transfusion Authority (PBTA), here today. Dr. Asad Ashraf MPA, Additonal Secretary Health (technical) Dr. Anwar Janjua, DG Health Dr. Nisar Ahmad Cheema, Secretary PBTA Dr. Jafar Saleem, Col. Maqbool Azam of CMH Lahore, Director Punjab AIDS Control Programme Dr. Salman Shahid and other members attended the meeting. Dr. Saeed Elahi said that all government and private blood banks in the province would be registered under Safe Blood Transfusion Act 1999. It was decided in the meeting to constitute blood awareness committees at provincial and district levels to encourage blood donors which would include government, journalists, showbiz, social workers and representatives of civil society.

It was decided in the meeting that in future only a license holder blood bank would be granted permission for transfusion of blood, otherwise strict legal action would be initiated against it. The meeting further decided that advertisements would be placed in newspapers to ascertain applications for registration of all blood banks while this process would be completed in the month of March. It would be made available free of cost along with online from the office of Secretary PBTA Lahore, Dr. Saeed apprised that committees consisting of senior hematologists would be constituted for inspection of blood banks and these banks would be registered in the light of their report. During the meeting, a technical committee was also given approval of under the leadership of Additional Secretary Technical which would also include health professionals aimed at presentation its recommendations after observing the Rules of Business of PBTA.

The meeting was decided to grant complete power to Secretary PBTA to run Blood Transfusion Authority as an institution, along with constituting and evolving its own website. The meeting was informed that annual license would be issued to blood bank for which a formal fee has been fixed while these license would be renewed in the light of inspection report consisting of their performance.