Health dept orders blood audit in all govt-run medical facilities

Kolkata: The state Health department has issued an order instructing all the government-run blood banks across the state to carry out blood audit in every government medical colleges and other hospitals under their jurisdiction on a weekly basis.

The step has been taken after the Health department found wastage of blood at different wards of various health facilities in the state.

Measures may be taken against the medical college authorities in case of wastage of blood. This is being considered as a significant move by the Health department to address the prevailing blood crisis in the state.

The order issued by an additional secretary of the Health department says that a considerable number of blood units issued by various blood banks for the patients admitted in different hospitals and medical colleges are often wasted due to certain reasons. To check the recurrence of such incidents, the Health department has made blood audit mandatory at all the government-run health facilities in the state.

All the state-run blood banks have been asked to conduct blood audit in the hospitals under their jurisdiction to assess the quantum of wastage.

On the basis of the blood audit, the concerned blood banks will prepare a report and send it to the Health department, which in turn may take necessary action against the hospital authorities if repeated incidents of wastage are reported from a particular hospital.

There will be a designated officer at each blood bank who will be given the responsibility to conduct the audit in liaison with the Superintendents of the respective medical colleges and health facilities.

Deputy Director (Blood Safety) will monitor the progress of the blood audit in the hospitals with an aim to identify the major causes of such wastage.

The Deputy Director will submit a monthly consolidated report to the Joint Director (Blood Safety) with a copy to the additional secretary of the department after compilation and collection of reports from all the hospitals.

It may be mentioned here that various government hospitals often run short of blood units, particularly during summer.

The patients and their family members also witness a shortage of blood at various blood banks at times.

The situation is further aggravated when the

number of blood donation camps goes down due to various reasons.