Shimla: To bring changes in the blood services across the country, Biswaroop Biswas, a member of the National Blood Transfusion Council, has suggested union government to implement a National Blood Services Act.

Biswas, while speaking at a webinar ‘Blood Banking System in HP: Problems and Solutions,’ asked the government to take pragmatic steps to ensure safe blood for patients.

The webinar was organized by Umang Foundation to mark World Blood Donor Day.

Biwas said the central government has committed in the national blood policy to provide safe blood to all needy patients. He said, “It is the fundamental right of all patients to get blood if needed. But most of the States are facing acute scarcity of blood as there are so many flaws at policy level and best practices are not adopted by the governments.”

Ajai Srivastava, chairman of the foundation said that blood bank system in the State is in pathetic condition and the government neither has any plan nor vision to improve the system.

“Umang Foundation will file a PIL in the High Court in this matter soon,” Srivastava said.

Ajai Srivastava said that the State lacks basic infrastructure including ICT facilities, apheresis machines, mobile blood vans and staff in all the districts.

The State Blood Transfusion Council, which was established by the order of Supreme Court to run and supervise all the blood banks in the State, was completely defunct and surprisingly state health department is not ready to listen to the problems of patients in need of blood, Srivastava further added.