mumbai

Updated: Jul 19, 2017 00:29 IST

Officers from the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) have initiated an inquiry against 34 private blood banks for allegedly flouting norms.

A Right to Information (RTI) query revealed that blood banks at several reputable hospitals in the city have only one or two Blood Transfusion Officers (BTO). As per law, all major blood banks must have at least four BTOs.

“A blood bank can function only in the presence of BTOs, as they examine whether donors are medically fit to give blood or not,” said Chetan Kothari, who filed the RTI.

In his letter to the ACB, Kothari alleged that big hospitals hire fewer BTOs to save money. “In private hospitals, paucity of posts and low pay does not arise. A single BTO can charge up to Rs4 lakh a year. But the hospitals skimp on the minimum requirement to save money,” Kothari mentioned in his letter.

In the past, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had taken action against government and civic-run hospitals for flouting the — minimum four BTOs — norm.

“Although the FDA has taken action against all the civic and government blood banks for shortage of staff. It is yet to initiate action against non-governmental blood banks,” said Kothari.

Refuting the allegations that FDA is yet to take against private blood banks for flouting the guidelines, an official said, “We take action against each and every blood bank that does not follow the norm. Then it doesn’t matter whether it is a public or a private blood bank.”