Quality Council Appointed Committee to Ensure Safe Blood

The Quality Council of India on 30 January 2011 appointed a five-member committee to rate blood banks across India in order to regulate blood banks and ensure that safe blood is provided to people. The measure by the Quality Council is an attempt to bring down incidence of infections such as HIV and hepatitis. The committee for accreditation of blood banks chaired by Dr Bharat Singh of GTB hospital, Delhi will function under National Accreditation Board for Hospitals. Other members of the committee include Dr R C Khurana of the Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi, Dr Sukesh Nair of Christian Medical College in Vellore and Dr BK Rana, deputy director of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals. The committee which has two-year tenure will monitor the quality of blood dispensed from the accredited blood banks. They will also recommend policy changes to the QCI board. Accreditation is given only if the blood banks ensure that the blood volume is right, there is no mixing of blood cells after components like platelets, white blood cells and red cells are isolated. The committee will ensure that the bank follows stringent measures to rule out infections.