The Rajasthan High Court has directed the State Medical and Health Department to hire proper medical and technical staff in blood banks across Rajasthan within the next six months.
The Division Bench of Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Kuldeep Mathur disposed of a PIL raising the issue in relation to the use of advance technology for blood transfusion.
Pankaj Sharma, Additional Advocate General (AAG), submitted that the requisite testing facilities are available at all district headquarters.
He further submitted that the committee itself has concluded in its report that NAT is not mandatory in every blood bank.
He further pointed out that presently, facility of blood analysis through NAT is available at two centers in the State of Rajasthan.
ELISA IV Generation test, which is acceptable universally, is comprehensive and acceptable all over the world and the state has approved the usage of this test in all blood banks.
The Court is apprised that proper manpower in terms of the committee’s report is not available in all blood banks across the State of Rajasthan and thus, the sensitive equipment are not being put to proper use.
The Court directed the Medical and Health Department, Government of Rajasthan, to ensure that proper medical and technical staff, wherever required, was selected and appointed in the blood banks across the State of Rajasthan at the earliest and as far as possible within the next six months.
“The ELISA IV test kits shall henceforth be used uniformly in all blood banks/centers,” the Bench further directed.