Is plasma of your donated blood sold off to pharma companies?

Be it any occasion, probably nowhere else in the country do we find so much blood flowing for charity than in Ahmedabad, which has a legacy of centurion blood donors. And if you one who takes pride in the city being one among top 5 world cities to donate blood, this news will surely flummox you.

Regular donors’ endeavours to contribute to life saving measures received a big setback on Monday when the news that prominent blood banks of the state are selling blood components to private pharmaceutical companies, surfaced.

In a shocking revelation before the high court, details put before it by petitioner Ashok Naik, who filed PIL against the profiteering of the blood banks, has revealed that the 52 blood banks functioning in the state have earned around Rs12 crore in past three years by selling blood plasma to private pharmaceutical companies.

Prathama, the state’s top private blood banks, also tops in selling plasma of worth Rs2 crore in past three years mostly to the Reliance Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.

The PIL seeks rules to be framed to regularise and control such unethical earning as well as making provisions to make blood available to lower strata of the society in the government hospital at lower rates or for free.

“After hearing our matter HC has asked blood banks to abide with the provisions of providing a certain quota of blood units to government hospital,” said Parth Contractor, counsel for Naik. He further stated that HC also mandated Prathama to provide 10% of the total units of blood collected for free and 30% on concessional rate to the government hospitals and thalassemia patients.

Government pleader Prakash Jani said, “We have requested the court to issue directions that can regulate selling blood plasma by blood banks to private firms as there is no law stipulated for such trade for welfare of the people.”

Naik had leveled allegations against the blood banks that they sell off blood plasma and other components to patients and pharmaceutical companies at high rates from the blood they get through donation. Following this, the HC had directed the blood banks to provide figures of blood units which they then complied with.

Naik also said that needy and thalassemic patients have to suffer the most, as they do not get blood at subsidized rates with government hospitals being perennially in short supply of blood and private blood banks selling it at higher rates.

After Prathama, Surat’s Surat Raktadan Kendra takes second spot in selling blood plasma worth Rs1.29 crore to Reliance in last three years. Valsad’s Valsad Raktan Kendra follows in the third spot with almost Rs1 crore business and city-based Indian Red Cross Society with Rs84.50 crore.

The court posted hearing of the case after two weeks by inviting suggestions from the government to regulate such activities and also asked the blood banks to respond to affidavits filed by Naik as well as the government that exposed the illegal plasma business.