Tout selling unmatched unit for Rs3K caught

JALANDHAR: A day after the Health Department raided a private hospital following the sale of two blood units issued a few days ago from the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital, teams of the Drug Department today caught a tout red-handed while selling a blood unit to a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) for Rs 3,000.

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 13

A day after the Health Department raided a private hospital following the sale of two blood units issued a few days ago from the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital, teams of the Drug Department today caught a tout red-handed while selling a blood unit to a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) for Rs 3,000.

The NGO, which had set a trap along with the Drug Department, nabbed the tout selling unmatched blood for a hefty sum without even seeking the details of a patient.

Drug Inspector Amarjit Singh as well as assistant dealing hand Dinesh Kumar from the Drug Department raided the blood bank.

Dinesh Kumar said: “A trap was set up at a local chowk where the tout was nabbed selling a blood unit to an NGO for Rs 3,000. The blood was sold without any cross-matching and without seeking any details of the patient. We have also raided the blood bank from where the blood was seized. The bank also lacks any of these details in its records. The records are at present being investigated. It’s an illegal sale as blood cannot be issued without checking antecedents, blood group, etc. of the patient openly like this.”

NGOs, The Blood Association Jalandhar, and the Youth Blood Donor Welfare Club, set the trap, and sought the blood unit from the tout who took the money and delivered it at a local chowk. After nabbing him, the Drug Department raided the bank from where it was issued.

Vardan Chadha, president The Blood Association Jalandhar, said: “We had been keeping tabs on the tout. Some shady activity regarding blood issuance had been going on for the past sometime. But today, we nabbed him red-handed and all due record was made. While a blood unit should not cost beyond Rs 1,450 from a private blood bank, they are charging Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,500 from needy patients. Both tout and the blood bank authorities should be booked.”

Assistant dealing hand of the Drug Department said the process to cancel the licence of the Alfa Blood Bank was being initiated by the department.