JALANDHAR: Major irregularities were detected in a private blood bank being run by Rakat Vahini India at Gulab Devi Hospital here. In fact the activists of a NGO involved in promoting volunteer blood donation blew the lid off the scam and then informed the authorities who immediately launched investigation and confirmed serious irregularities.
Around two dozen units of blood were found lying outside refrigerator when health department officials raided the blood bank during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after they were alerted by activists of NGO Hindustan Welfare Blood Donors Club, Phagwara.
“We were already suspecting irregularities in the Blood Bank and have been trying to track them red handed. During the intervening night of Friday and Saturday we were informed by the staff of a private hospital that they had been provided two units of blood bearing same donation number. The staffers suspected that there was something fishy and informed us after which we reached this blood bank and informed the authorities also,” said Neeraj Bakshi of Hindustan Welfare Blood Donors Club Phagwara which has network of over 5,000 blood donors and has been working to promote volunteer blood donation among people.
The officials of health department continued the investigations throughout the day and on Saturday evening Zonal Licensing Authority
Karun Sachdev said that they had seized 44 units of blood and record of the blood bank. “Glaring violations of rules of storing and handling the blood have been confirmed in the initial investigations,” he said.
He said that from the 44 units recovered 25 were lying outside the refrigerators whereas it should be stored at 2-6 degree temperature. “Donation and expiry dates were not being mentioned on the blood bags,” he revealed.
The blood bank is owned by Dr I G Aggarwal, originally hailing from Tohana, Haryana. “The same fellow is running around 10 blood banks in Punjab and Haryana and now the government has launched investigation in all the blood banks being run by him. All the blood bags seized should now be tested for
HIV,
Hepatitis C and B virus etc as per the standard procedure to find out if infected blood was also being issued to patients,” said Bakshi.
On Saturday night an FIR was registered for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy under sections 420,465,468,471,120B IPC, on the complaint submitted by Neeraj Bakshi, against Blood Transfusion Officer Dr Harjeet Singh, Technical supervisor Bhupinder Singh and three technicians of the blood bank. .
