Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 5: A major blood pilferage scam has been going on unnoticed in the Blood-Bank of Government Medical College and Hospital, from where huge quantity of blood has been bleeding to private nursing homes for the last many months, turning officials of bank into millinioners overnight.
Source in the department informed that the pilferage of blood from Blood bank had been going on for the last many years and it was plugged for few months. "The reserve in the blood bank of GMC remained at nearly one or two hundreds due to huge pilferage of blood to private nursing homes. Two year back, the reserve of Blood in bank, rose from few hundreds to 700-800 units in reserve", sources said, adding that but in the last one year, once again the reserve in the Blood bank has fallen to merely 200-300 bottles, which is also evident from the routine record of reserve blood, maintained in Blood bank. It simply signals towards black-marketing of blood from blood bank to private nursing homes.
Sources informed that most of Private Nursing homes across Jammu, have no facility of blood storage and they depend on Blood Bank of GMC and Shalamar hospital, Gandhi Nagar hospital for requirements of blood, adding that There was a strong nexus of the officials in Blood Bank and owner of private nursing homes/ hospital was going on but nobody is daring to stop the nexus which is operating under the nose of hospital administrator.
As per norms, the registered nursing homes can take the blood from the blood bank by replacing with other blood but due to lackadaisical approach of the department concerned, the same have been getting blood that too without replacement, informed officials wishing anonymity.
The medicos further said that though, during the tenure of former administrators- a list was prepared on routine basis which was counter checking/ counter signed after issuing the blood to the respective wards' patients then reckoning but same practice has been closed, the reasons best known to officials concerned why they have stopped the practices which was adopted during previous regimes.
"There are three hospitals where the facility of blood donation and storage are available including GMC&H, SMGS Hospital, Shalamar and Government Hospital, Gandhi Nagar in Jammu city but it is very interesting that two dozen Private hospital/ Nursing homes were operating within ten kilometer having no blood bank facility, totally dependent on these hospitals", said sources.
There are many instances when wrongdoing of the Blood bank has come to fore, in April of 2011, the then Principal of GMC& H had constituted a committee to look into the allegations leveled by Dr Rajesh Bhagat, Registrar, Department of Medicine against official as well as technical staff of the Blood Bank.
"Despite the enquiry team had founded that some employees of Blood Bank had indulged in misusing his/ her official position and violating the set norms and protocols of Blood Bank and the team had sought punishment to them accordingly for issuing blood illegally, but surprising, nobody has been dare to punish them by the department so far", source said. |
