October 16, 2002	Wednesday	Sha’aban 9, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The government will soon establish Islamabad Blood Transfusion Authority (IBTA) after President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday promulgated an ordinance to regulate transfusion of safe blood in capital territory.

Under the ordinance, before transfusion, every physician, surgeon, and medical practitioner will have to ensure that blood or its products are safe and certified by the blood bank after thorough screening against HIV, hepatitis B and C, malaria, syphilis and other viruses and infectious agents.

A person who contravenes any provision of the ordinance — recently approved by the cabinet — may face one-year imprisonment with a fine upto Rs100,000. The in charge of a blood bank will also be held responsible for any contravention taking place in the bank.

The IBTA has been authorized to implement the national health policy and safety standards, register and issue licenses to blood banks, fix-service charges of blood and its products and ensure that bio-safety measures are strictly adhered to by the blood bank managements.

The authority will also ensure that the blood banks are run by qualified professionals, having postgraduate qualifications in blood transfusion or hematology, recognized by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council.

It will monitor the working of the blood banks and carry out periodical inspections. Under the law, the blood banks will not accept blood from professional donors and are required to have a separate department, staff and equipment for selection, handling, care and safety of the donors.

The banks staff will screen, examine and test the blood in accordance with federal government’s instructions for detection of any communicable disease. The banks will also make arrangements for proper refrigeration of blood and its products, and un-interrupted power supply for the purpose.

The bank managements will submit periodical reports to IBTA regarding donations with details of blood groups, detection of anti-bodies and screening.

The ordinance also contains bio-safety measures like washing of hands before and after each procedure. It restricts work in the laboratory with exposed skin, cuts and lesions, and pipetting of blood by mouth. Blood will have to be drawn through new disposable and properly sterilized syringes and needles.

Under the ordinance, freshly prepared solution of 01 per cent sodium hypochlorite will have to be arranged in the blood bank for sterlization of re-usable equipment like pipettes, scissors, beakers, flasks etc.

Needles and other sharp instruments will be kept in rigid plastic, glass or metallic containers. Needles will have to be properly capped, and decontaminated material is to be autoclaved or burnt and buried at a scientific landfill site. Contaminated laboratory and other clothing will be autoclaved before being sent for washing, and work surface is to be cleaned with 10 per cent sodium hypochlorite solution, bleach and soap at the end of each day.