The long pending proposal for setting up the National Blood Transfusion Authority (NBTA) to streamline the transfusion services in the country has shot down by the Finance Ministry after National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) failed to clearly specify the mandate even after many revisions, it is learnt.
The proposal was initiated for setting up of NBTA during the year 2008-09 under NACP phase-III. A draft cabinet note was prepared and sent to various departments such as Departments of Expenditure & Economic Affairs, under Ministry of Finance, Department of Health & Planning Commission in September 2009 for comments which never came in.
The original timeline for setting up of NBTA was April, 2010. However, due to non receipt of the comments from all the Departments the revised draft was delayed. Now the Ministry of Finance has refused permission 'due to lack of clear mandate in this regard,' sources said.
However, NACO officials when contacted claimed that they were still trying to put up fresh proposal to set up the authority as it had become more important in the wake of reported cases of malpractices in the sector.
Recently the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare also expressed its dismay over the delay in the proposal. “Though the original timeline for starting NBTA was April, 2010, there is still no ray of hope of its being set in near future. The Committee condemns such procrastinating attitude of the government. The Committee impresses upon the Department that in order to ensure setting up of a NBTA, it is imperative that immediate steps should be taken to remove the legal infirmities and seek replies from respective Departments without further delay,” the report by the panel said.
It was also alleged that the stiff opposition from existing blood banks in the private sector had forced the Health Ministry to backtrack on the proposal. The private sector claimed that it would spoil their business if the proposal got through to turn them as mere storage units linked to mother blood banks.
The authority was mooted to regulate all activities related to the blood collection and transfusion and make good laboratory practices mandatory for the blood banks. There are more than 2300 licensed blood banks in the country and health ministry is providing technical and financial support to around 1230 of the public and charitable blood banks.