Bloodsucker: How a blood bank in Hyderabad used to alter the blood products to get profit

While the blood bank had the appropriate license to carry out activities such as collection, storage, processing, and distribution of “whole human blood”, they were also supplying the blood components— Single Donor Platelets, Packed RBC, and Plasma to the patients.

The blood bank can’t supply single donor platelets, as they are made using a process called “Plateletpheresis”.

This process can’t be performed without the right equipment, like an “apheresis machine” or a “blood cell separator”, which the blood bank lacked.

When the blood components are not prepared in an authorised manner, they may fail to meet the quality standards prescribed in the drug rules. Such products may have serious implications on patients’ health.

During the investigation, the blood centre technician J Ravi Kumar revealed that Single Donor Platelets were illegally procured from other blood banks and were being supplied to the patients in an unauthorized manner.

In the raid, DCA officials seized the following blood components— O2 packed RBC bags and 1 Plasma Bag.

The officials also found account books, sales bill books of whole blood and blood components, blood requisition forms, and labels of Single Donor Platelets from the premises of the Asian Blood Centre.

Depending on the further investigation, offenders will be punished.

Preparation and selling of blood components without a “drug license” is punishable under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, with imprisonment of up to five years.

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(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)