KARACHI: The Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority (SBTA) has decided to impart training to its staff, inspectors in particular, to strengthen monitoring of blood banks in accordance with international standards and ensuring safe blood transfusion, it emerged on Sunday.

Officials said experts were being tapped to hold training sessions for inspectors of the authority and other staffs from next month.

“We have far better mechanism for blood banking in Sindh, yet the training is aimed at making the whole operation further fail-safe and bring it at par with international standards,” said SBTA secretary Dr Zahid Hasan Ansari.

He said the focus of training workshops would be on ensuring that blood screening and transfusion was safe. The officials who would be included in the training sessions would be inspectors nominated by the SBTA from all districts, lab technicians and pathologists.

A German government organisation would assist the SBTA for holding some of the workshops, said an official.

In an earlier development, the officials said the Sindh government was going to hold a series of meetings with provincial lawmakers to amend the blood transfusion laws to make running of illegal blood banks and violating existing prescribed rules cognisable offence.

The sources said the government had been informed about difficulties on the part of the SBTA in taking action against illegal blood banks since the offence was non cognisable.

The officials added the offence was serious and heinous in nature and should be made cognisable and non-bailable in the court of law.

With an effective legislation at hand, the SBTA could directly lodge an FIR against those involved in the ‘inhuman’ business, they added. The SBTA had been asked to acquire services of lawyers in this connection.

The Sindh Safe Blood Act 1997 had been amended in 2005.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2015

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