Hyderabad: The licenses of Srikara Hospital Blood Centre and New Life Educational Society Blood Centre have been cancelled by the Drugs Control Administration (DCA) of Telangana in connection with the illegal plasma collection racket which was busted at Moosapet.
The DCA officials conducted a raid after they receive information at Haemo Service Laboratories situated in a residential building in Moosapet and detected a huge stock of human plasma bags stored in freezers. The firm Haemo Service Laboratories within the apartment has been illegally collecting plasma from various blood banks and stockpiling them for sale in an unauthorised manner.
DCA officers found that Srikara Hospital Blood Bank and New Life Educational Society Blood Centre illegally sold plasma to R Raghavendra Naik of Haemo Service Laboratories, not adhering to the norms. DCA officers immediately raided the two blood banks and confirmed the illegal sale of plasma to Haemo Service Laboratories upon verification. At blood banks, plasma is separated from whole blood, collected from donors, through a process called plasmapheresis. After collection, it must be frozen within six hours to preserve its integrity. As the illegal sale of plasma by blood banks can have detrimental consequences on public health, the licenses of the two blood banks have been cancelled with immediate effect on the larger public interest, said DCA Director General Kamalasan Reddy. He said further that blood banks must implement stringent measures to prevent such activities and ensure the integrity of blood banking practices. He warned that stringent action will be taken as per the law against violators.