Bangalore: Health Minister warns against illegal blood sale

[Guest guest]

Health Minister warns against illegal blood sale

Bangalore, June 14, DHNS:

Minister for Health and Family Welfare B Sriramulu has warned of stringent

action against hospitals, nursing homes and individuals selling blood illegally.

Speaking at the 'Blood Donors' Day' organised jointly by the Karnataka State

AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS), the Indian Red Cross Society and the Karnataka

State Blood Transfusion Council here on Monday, the minister who prides himself

on donating blood 16 times said one should celebrate his/her birthday by

donating blood to save life. He also flagged-off nine blood transport vans and

later donated blood.

According to Chairman of Indian Red Cross Society Dr S B Kulakarni Karnataka has

a 32 percent shortage of blood. Speaking on the sidelines, R R Jannu, Project

Director, KSAPS said the State required four lakh units of blood every year and

collection of blood through voluntary donation camps had contributed to 3.25

lakh units last year. Karnataka, however, has a better rate of blood collection

compared to its neighbouring states, he added.

Currently, the State has a total of 171 blood banks. India's first-ever blood

storage centre was opened at Kundapur taluk in Uttara Kannada district. At

present, there are 30 functional blood storage centres at the taluk level in the

State, under the National Rural Health Mission.

The blood banks in six new medical colleges will be upgraded to blood component

separation units soon. The KSAPS monitors blood banks in the State which are

required to have a valid licence from the Drugs Controller. Also, blood banks

should carry out the mandatory tests for HIV 1 and 2, HbsAg (HBV), HCB, VDRL and

Malaria.

Professional blood donating activities have been completely banned from January

1, 1998 as per the Supreme Court verdict.

Rarest of rare blood group

Forty-two-year-old ppa Hanumathappa from Davangere has Bombay Phenotype

Group, a rarest of rare blood combination found in merely 0.0004% of human

population.

Commonly mistaken as `O' group, BPG is often not identified at all as proper

blood grouping or testing practices are not followed.

Hanumanthappa came to the BGS Global Hospital in the City for his seven-year-old

son Darshan's cardiac surgery which required blood transfusion. When he came

forward to donate blood, his group showed to be `O' as there was no reaction to

anti-A and anti-B antibodies.

When reverse group, required to detect the BPBG was performed, it showed

agglutination (the clumping together of red blood cells or bacteria usually in

response to a particular antibody) with `O' cells. Repeated testing also

confirmed that he has the rare Bombay 'Oh' Phenotype Blood Group. Thus,

Hanumanthappa became only the 180th person in India to have BPBG.

People with BPBG can donate and receive blood only among those with the same

blood group. If a BPBG recipient is not transfused with the blood of a BPBG

donor, it can lead to haemolytic transfusion (the breaking open of red blood

cells and the release of haemoglobin into the surrounding fluid) reaction which

can be fatal.

One in every 17,600 people in India or one in every 25,000 people in the world

have BPBG, which is the result of genetic mutation and can be common among

family members.

Display blood group

According to Dr purna Ramesh, the hospital's Head, Department of Transfusion

Medicine, " A person with `O' group should confirm that it is not BPBG. He/she

should always be cautious to carry an identity card prominently displaying his

blood group and should never receive any other blood type. "

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/75447/health-minister-warns-against-illegal.\

html