November 30, 2008	Sunday	Zilhaj 1, 1429

KARACHI, Nov 29: The Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority (SBTA) is launching a campaign for the inspection of the registered blood banks on Monday to ensure that they were following the relevant rules and standard operating procedures.

Sources in the Authority said that there were reports that some registered blood banks were not observing the safe blood transfusion practices and, as such, putting the life of blood recipients at great risk.

During the campaign, raids would also be conducted by a SBTA team, led by its secretary Dr Zahid H. Ansari, on illegal blood banks and pathology laboratories allegedly involved in the illegal collection and sale of blood. A source said that Karachi and other districts, including Larkana, Shahdadkot and Sukkur, had seen mushroom growth of illegal blood services.

In Karachi, some blood banks are reportedly operating in the areas like Orangi, Korangi, Baldia, Nazimabad, Federal B Area, Malir, Garden, Old City, Saddar, Gulistan-i-Jauhar and Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

It is also feared that some of the units allegedly had stopped screening, examining and testing the donated blood and its by-products in accordance with the standards set by the WHO for detection of communicable diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B and C.

SBTA secretary Dr Zahid Hasan Ansari told Dawn that the crackdown against the illegal and unethical blood transfusion services would continue for a month in Karachi and longer in some other parts of the province.

He said that it was in the interest of the unauthorised institutions to stop their dubious activities on their own at once. He warned that severe penalty and imprisonment would be handed to the owners and operators of illegal blood collection and transfusion services.He suggested that the registered institutions should ensure having qualified pathologists and the required number of relevant technicians at their disposal. The institutions must have equipment for proper refrigeration of blood and its by-products, besides arrangements for an uninterrupted power supply to run the equipment.