The inordinate delay in holding timely inspections in blood banks and blood storage centres in Tamil Nadu is letting the units to violate the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics (D&C) Act in a big way and the operations are found inefficient and careless due to lack of monitoring by enforcement officials. Recent evidences received by the state drug control authorities prove it undoubtedly.

The shortage of regulatory staff in the CDSCO office in Chennai is the reason highlighted by the state and central authorities. Currently several blood banks and blood storage centres  remain unchecked for several months and a huge number of applications for renewal and for fresh licences are pending with the state drug control department, it is learnt.

Recently an enforcement official in Madurai during an accidental inspection in a blood bank unit has detected several anomalies with its operations, said A Abdul Khader, the director of drugs control. Non maintenance of records was the major fault found by the inspector. The officer further found that the unit was getting empty blood bags from a pharma distributor in Thirunelveli who had not acquired any licence for stocking the bags. Fifty bags were seized from the distributors’ shop and violation cases have been registered against the blood bank and the distributor, said the director.

According to the director, inspection in blood banks is carried out when people from the central drugs control department are joining for the operation. For new licences, approval of the state blood transfusion centre (SBTC) is required before the joint inspection and they will also conduct inspections in the new units. So, delay may be happened in holding checking in the newly established and existing units.

“Every month we are getting several applications for renewal and for starting new units. We do forward all of them to the CDSCO office as soon as we get it. But the problem of staff crunch in the central office is always delaying the inspections. However, compared to other states, we are carrying out all the processes faster,” said Abdul Khader.

When contacted a junior officer in the department, said the  CDSCO office will act fast for everything when influential people approach them for new licences and for renewal. Those who have no kind of influence or source of pressure have to wait for a long time to address their grievances.

There are 284 blood banks functioning in the state and out of which 184 units are privately managed. Out of the total 323 blood storage centres, 70 are managed by private sector.