The just concluded south zone meeting of the State Drugs Controllers demanded Drug Controller General of India to establish a system for speedy renewal of licenses to blood banks. The meeting chaired by the deputy drugs controller general of India, south zone, Dr D Roy.

Drug inspectors at the meeting wanted for fresh rules to be made in this regard so that renewal of blood bank licenses can be done without spot inspection jointly by Central and state officials. Joint inspection is justified while issuing new licenses. Currently even for renewal of licenses joint inspection by central and state authorities is done.

According to Dr Roy, there is a lack of coordination between the officers and the state administrations causing delay in documentation. "In future, there will be uniformity in the implementation of drugs and cosmetics act in all the states, and we have decided to make all the documentations fast. In every sphere, the same existing mechanism will be implemented and followed, but the functioning will be very fast for the convenience of the public," he said.

There are near about 750 Blood Banks functioning in the southern states excluding Andhra Pradesh. But officers of Central and State Drug Administration departments making spot inspections to renew their licenses cause delay for issuance of renewal certificates, said, M P George, Drugs Controller, Kerala where a total of 150 blood banks and storage centers are operating. In Tamil Nadu alone, about 250 blood banks are functioning well. He said there are only two central drug inspectors in the south zone to look after more than 700 blood banks covering Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Pondicherry. In Andhra Pradesh there is special central team for inspection.

The state drug authorities have to send the report of the joint inspection to the DCGI for ratification, which entails a long time, and only after it get endorsed, the state authorities are authorized to issue the renewal license. The Kerala drugs controller said that even for issuing Certificates of Pharmaceutical Products (WHO-cGMP) to drugs manufacturing companies for export purposes, joint inspection comprising of central and state officials, has to be carried out.

Blood banks, which are issued licenses for a period of five years, are expected to follow certain rules as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. They should apply to the Drugs Control Administration for a renewal at least a month before its expiry.

Some time back, the union health minister had stated that his ministry would set up state of the art blood banks in 600 districts across the country and a model blood bank in all the states within next two to three years. In Tamil Nadu, the State government has proposed to set up six mobile blood banks across the State soon.

Being a big populous country, India needs the services of blood banks on a big scale. Every two seconds, someone in the country is in need of blood. Every year the nation requires about four crore units of blood, out of which only a meager five lakh units of blood are available, said an expert working with a blood bank.