Jaipur: Some private blood banks of the state have extensively used the plasma from blood obtained from blood donation camps in their business. After the revelation of the sale of plasma at JK Lon Hospital to private blood banks, Rajasthan Patrika’s investigation revealed that some blood banks of the state earned huge profits by selling up to 90 percent plasma to private companies for making medicines. At present there are 224 blood banks in the state, of which 59 are government and 165 are private.
If we look at the figures, 70 blood banks made plasma from the blood taken from blood donation camps and gave only 40 percent to the patients. Most of these blood banks have opened in the last five to seven years. On average, more than 60 percent of the plasma sold to companies. In SMS Hospital this percentage is only 15 to 20 percent.
Patients have to pay 70 percent
Blood banks have to give up to 70 percent of plasma to patients, whereas generally this is not happening. Up to 90 percent of it is sold to make medicines. As per the instructions of the Government of India, blood banks can give the remaining plasma after giving it to the patients to the drug manufacturing companies. For which companies are given licenses.
If the government investigates, more facts will be revealed
Investigation revealed that some blood banks of Udaipur, Kota, Suratgarh, Sikar, Sanganer Jaipur, Rajsamand, Pratapgarh, Murlipura Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Jhalawar, Jaipur, Sriganganagar, Churu, Bikaner and Bhilwara have sold 75 to 100 percent plasma. If the government investigates, more facts will be revealed.
How much truth will the committee be able to bring out?
After the issue of selling plasma in JK Lon Hospital came to light, Additional Chief Secretary of Medical and Health Department, Mrs Shubhra Singh has given instructions to run a campaign to check all the government and private blood banks located across the state. However, ACS has also asked to run the campaign in a meeting held on April 29.
Black business of blood came to light earlier also
Two years ago, in the year 2022 and in September 2021, a case of doubling the donated blood by adding Saline water to it for profiteering has come to light. It was then revealed that blood donated from Rajasthan was adulterated and sold at a higher price in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh STF and Drug Department had revealed that blood was bought from the technicians of 8 blood banks of Jaipur, Chaumun and Sikar for Rs 700-800. The gang’s network was spread across seven states. In the raid, 302 units of substandard human blood smuggled from Rajasthan were recovered. Then the names of many blood banks of the state appeared in it.
All orders were on paper, Rajasthan’s Drugs Control organization could not do anything
After the UP business came to light, the Drug Control Organization of Rajasthan issued several orders on blood banks in the state, but after the above revelations, all these have proved to be only on paper.