Phagwara blood bank closure puts lives at risk

The only government blood bank in Phagwara has been closed for the past 1.5 years, causing significant inconvenience to local residents who are forced to travel to neighbouring cities to obtain blood units during emergencies. The most common referral is to Jalandhar Civil Hospital, which is at least 20 km away. Unfortunately, no local government alternatives have been provided to patients.

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The Phagwara Blood Bank ceased operations on August 26, 2023, after a formal show-cause notice was issued following the issuance of three HIV-positive blood units to patients. The state Department of Drugs Control, in an inspection report, deemed the blood from the bank to be of “poor quality” and “unsafe for transfusion,” putting patients’ lives at risk. The discrepancies were discovered following a joint inspection by teams from the Drugs Inspector, CDSCO Baddi; and the Drugs Control Officer in Kapurthala on August 1, 2023. Subsequently, the Food and Drugs Administration, Punjab, suspended operations until the deficiencies were rectified.

What is particularly baffling is that, despite the closure lasting over a year-and-a-half, the blood bank, which operates from Phagwara Civil Hospital, has yet to resolve the issues. Several inspections since then have repeatedly highlighted ongoing deficiencies. Since the suspension, the blood bank has spent at least Rs 14 lakh on renovations (allocated by the SBTC) in an attempt to address these issues. A joint raid in January 2024 by both Central and local drug authorities again raised concerns, with the bank failing to meet the staff and space requirements as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act guidelines.

This is not the first time the bank has faced such issues. It was previously closed in 2020 after issuing HCV-positive blood to an 85-year-old woman and mismatched blood to a 19-year-old recipient.

Discrepancies

The August 2023 inspection of the blood bank revealed 17 discrepancies, including the issuance of HIV-reactive blood units (Nos. 2120, 2207 and 2204). The bank lacked a policy for discarding blood units under grey zone, and two such units were found to have been issued. Additionally, expired reagents and kits were stored under uncontrolled conditions, and there were discrepancies in the registers and records. The inspection also noted that the centre had not provided adequate space for the preparation of blood components, failed to allocate an additional 10 sq m for apheresis, and did not have a permanent BTO. Furthermore, the facility lacked a dedicated storage and archiving room.

Officialspeak

Dr Gurinder Grewal, officiating on additional charge as Blood Transfusion Officer (BTO), Phagwara Blood Bank, said “Our staff is complete, but the main issue is space constraints. The blood bank does not have space for expansion. As per guidelines, an additional 10 sq m is required. We have written several times, even to the state but objections always arise after inspections.”

He added, “When operational, the bank had a capacity to store 100 to 200 units, but currently, we do not house a single blood unit.”

When asked about the inconvenience caused to patients, who must travel to Jalandhar or pay for blood units from other banks, Dr Grewal responded, “There is no inconvenience. Jalandhar is just 20 km away, and blood units are available free of cost there. We are not a medical college, but just a primary unit and we don’t have specialists or neurosurgeons. Critical cases are usually referred elsewhere.” Dr Grewal is also serving as the Emergency Medical Officer at Civil Hospital, Phagwara.

Dr Sunita Devi, Joint Director of the State Blood Transfusion Council, said, “The issues at the blood bank are primarily infrastructural. Adjusting space in old buildings and constructing new facilities takes time. Our engineering wing is addressing this. The shortage of laboratory technicians (LTs), staff unwilling to come to the centre and the stringent guidelines under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act are compounding issues."