With a view to ensure quality and safety in blood transfusions which can cause spread of deadly virus in the absence of quality standards, the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Providers (NABH) has launched an accreditation programme for blood banks, blood centres and transfusion services.

After the agency under the Quality Council of India launched the accreditation programme on January 25, as many as seven centres have been given the certificates while process to accord accreditation for three other applicants are in different stages, NABH sources said.

"The accreditation programme strives to the quality and safety of collecting, processing, testing and transfusion of blood and blood products. The basis for assessment of blood bank includes compliance with the accreditation standard and statutory/regulatory requirements. The accreditation programme assesses the quality and operational systems comprehensively in place with facility, before issuing accreditation certificate," sources said.

NABH standards for blood banks have been drafted by technical committee of NABH and contain complete set of standards for evaluation of blood banks for grant of accreditation. The standards provide framework for quality assurance and quality improvement for blood banks. The standards focus on patient safety and quality of care. They call for continuous monitoring and comprehensive corrective action plan leading to building of quality culture at all levels and across all the functions. The standards are equally applicable to blood banks in the government as well as in the private sector.

Wockhardt Hospitals Blood Bank, International Hospital Ltd., Department of Transfusion Medicine, Noida, Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre, New Delhi, Moolchand, New Delhi, Dr Hedgewar Blood Bank, Akola, NTR Memorial blood bank, Hyderabad and Max Blood Bank, Max Heart & Vascular Institute, New Delhi have been given accreditation so far.

Applications have been received from Department of Transfusion Medicine, Fortis Flt Lt Rajan Dhall Hospital, New Delhi, KMC Hospital - Blood Bank, Mangalore and Blood Bank of Max Balaji Hospital, New Delhi. The applications are under different stages of processing.