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Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
NAT should be mandatory at all blood banks: Experts
New Delhi: Diagnosed with thalassemia at the age of two, a 23-year-old woman depended on blood transfusions every three weeks to stay alive. But when she was hospitalised with dengue in Class VIII, doctors discovered something more alarming - she was diagnosed as HIV-positive. "I wasn't recovering. After several tests, they told me I was HIV-positive. I suspect it came from a transfusion. If the blood was properly tested, maybe this wouldn't have happened," she said. Now living with both thalassemia and HIV, she depends not only on regular transfusions, but also on antiretroviral treatment. The woman's testimony at the roundtable on "Ensuring Safe Blood for All: Strengthening Blood Safety Practices", organised by the Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group (TPAG) at India International Centre on Thursday, brought into sharp focus the urgent need to fix India's entire blood safety ecosystem. Experts at the event called for comprehensive reforms - from mandatory nucleic acid testing ( NAT ) at all blood banks to boosting voluntary blood donation and patient participation in policymaking. NAT, which detects HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C during the early infection "window period", is far more effective than standard tests, but is not yet mandatory across India. "Safe blood is not just about testing - it begins at the source," said Dr Sangeeta Pathak, secretary general of Indian Society of Blood Transfusion & Immunohematology (ISBTI) and head of Transfusion Medicine at Max Saket. "Voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation is key. Sri Lanka has achieved 100% voluntary donation. Why not India?" She called on both professionals and the public to take ownership. "We must talk about it, promote it, and strengthen the culture of safe, voluntary blood donation." Anubha Taneja Mukherjee, member secretary, TPAG, reminded participants that blood safety is a matter of human rights. "This isn't just a technical issue. It's about dignity, equity, and the right to safe, life-saving interventions." Public health advocate Prof Bejon Kumar Misra emphasised the need for transparency and accountability. "Safety is non-negotiable. People have a right to know what is being done - and what's not. Communication is critical. We need strategies that ensure no patient falls through the cracks." P C Sen, senior Supreme Court advocate, reiterated the state's legal obligation to ensure access to pathogen-free blood .
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Unsafe blood and unkept promises: Experts suggest mandatory NAT at all blood banks
New Delhi: Diagnosed with thalassemia at the age of two, a 23-year-old woman depended on blood transfusions every three weeks to stay alive. But when she was hospitalised with dengue in Class VIII, doctors discovered something more alarming — she was HIV-positive. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "I wasn't recovering. After several tests, they told me I was HIV-positive. I suspect it came from a transfusion. If the blood was properly tested, maybe this wouldn't have happened," she said. Now living with both thalassemia and HIV, she depends not only on regular transfusions, but also on antiretroviral treatment. The woman's testimony at the roundtable on "Ensuring Safe Blood for All: Strengthening Blood Safety Practices", organised by the Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group (TPAG) at India International Centre on Thursday, brought into sharp focus the urgent need to fix India's blood safety ecosystem. Experts at the event called for comprehensive reforms — from mandatory nucleic acid testing (NAT) at all blood banks to boosting voluntary blood donation and patient participation in policymaking. NAT, which detects HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C during the early infection "window period", is far more effective than standard tests, but is not yet mandatory across India. "Safe blood is not just about testing — it begins at the source," said Dr Sangeeta Pathak, secretary general of Indian Society of Blood Transfusion & Immunohematology (ISBTI) and head of Transfusion Medicine at Max Saket. "Voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation is key. Sri Lanka has achieved 100% voluntary donation. Why not India?" She called on both professionals and the public to take ownership. "We must talk about it, promote it, and strengthen the culture of safe, voluntary blood donation." Anubha Taneja Mukherjee, member secretary, TPAG, reminded participants that blood safety is a matter of human rights. "This isn't just a technical issue. It's about dignity, equity, and the right to safe, life-saving interventions." Public health advocate Prof Bejon Kumar Misra emphasised the need for transparency and accountability. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Safety is non-negotiable. People have a right to know what is being done — and what's not. Communication is critical. We need strategies that ensure no patient falls through the cracks." P C Sen, senior Supreme Court advocate, reiterated the state's legal obligation to ensure access to pathogen-free blood. "It's not just a public health concern. It's constitutional." BJP spokesperson Tuhin A Sinha assured the gathering of govt's commitment to stronger frameworks and cross-sector collaboration. "This is not a single-agency issue. It requires everyone — govt, civil society and experts — coming together to strengthen the system," he said. Prof N K Ganguly, former DG of ICMR, highlighted the need for investment in diagnostics, better regulation, and scaling up innovations. The roundtable brought together perspectives from medicine, law, advocacy and governance, each viewing the issue through a different lens but advocating a unified message — that blood safety must be treated as foundational to India's healthcare transformation, not as a peripheral challenge.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Thalassemia patients call for standardised tests to reduce transfusion-transmitted infections
On Thursday (July 17, 2025), the Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group (TPAG), along with legal and health experts, called for the need to strengthen blood safety practices across the country – particularly the need for a standardised test to screen blood donations – to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections. Following the discussion, held at India International Centre in Delhi on Thursday (July 17, 2025), the group said they would be submitting their recommendations to stakeholders including state and central governments. A 23-year-old Thalassemia patient from Kolkata, present during the discussion, shared her experience of contracting dengue and then testing positive for HIV, to which lack of blood screening could have contributed. She said, 'From the age of two, I have been taking blood transfusions. As a Thalassemia patient, I would require it every 21 days. When I was in Class 8, I contracted dengue and then tested positive with HIV. I don't know for sure if I got it during the blood transfusion or not, but the testing has an important role to play.' At present, Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), a highly sensitive molecular technique used to screen blood donations for infectious diseases, is used in some hospitals. While it is treated as a gold standard, it is not mandatory across the country. Tuhin A. Sinha, a BJP spokesperson present during the discussion vowed to the group that he would help them take the dialogue forward. Speaking about the importance of NAT testing, he said, 'The Delhi government hospitals have been quick to ensure that it is in place. But one of the important steps should be to develop advocacy for implementing it across the country.' He also suggested incentivising blood donations, saying, 'The more people join the ecosystem, either by way of espousing the idea of donating blood, it will lead to the institutionalisation of systems where checks and balances can be implemented more aggressively.' The discussion was moderated by Anubha Taneja Mukherjee, Member Secretary of TPAG, which is a network of over 10,000 thalassemia patients in the country. She said, 'Based on today's discussion, we will send recommendations to stakeholders including the government, and government agencies.' The recommendations included standardised blood transfusion practises and a mandate for NAT, a national-level blood donation campaign involving influencers, mandatory thalassemia screening for pregnant women. She added that in an attempt to reduce dependence on blood transfusion, hospitals should also make available, novel therapies such as gene therapy. During the discussion, P.C. Sen, a Supreme Court advocate, spoke about the legal and ethical responsibilities of the state and institutions to ensure pathogen-free blood as a constitutional right. Meanwhile, Professor N.K. Ganguly, former Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) suggested an approach that would also involve patients of other blood disorders such as sickle cell anaemia.
