Guidelines to prevent Misuse of Blood Donor Credit Cards

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE
State Blood Transfusion Council, West Bengal
Swasthya Bhawan, 1st Floor, Wing-B, GN-29, Sector-V, Salt Lake City, Kolkata-700 091

Memo No. SBTC/1M-01-14/285 Date: 12.02.2015

ORDER

This department issued orders exempting charges of blood and blood products from Govt run blood banks to indoor patients of Govt. hospitals up to the District Hospitals and Donor Credit holders in teaching hospitals including Private Nursing Homes and Private Hospitals. These Policy guidelines were issued with the intention to ensure free blood transfusion services and it is expected that blood units issued from Blood Banks against donor credit cards are meant for free blood transfusion in any of the hospital where patient is treated.

The State Blood Transfusion Council headed by Principal Secretary of the Health & Family Welfare Department, SBTC in its executive committee meeting on 3rd February 2015 raised serious concern regarding the reports of misuse of donor credit cards to get blood units issued from blood banks but end use is not without any financial considerations in some cases. It is also noted that all particulars on reverse side of donor cards like name of holder, age, blood group, signature of donor, mobile number and address are not filled up by issuing authorities of blood banks collecting the blood in donation camps.

Now, after careful consideration of existing shortcomings and issues involved in supervising and monitoring system of blood transfusion services against donor cards and free for indoor issues, SBTC decided to issue following directions to different levels as per the following heads:-

1. Issues related to the blood donor credit cards etc. :

I. Blood donor credit cards to be signed by issuing authority, MO or other competent authority only after satisfying himself/ herself that all the particulars on the original donor card is filled completely and specimen signature or the LTI of donor are recorded on the reverse side of the donor card.

II. Mobile number of donor must also be recorded on the reverse side of the donor card. No donor card shall be issued unless signature of donor and other particulars including label of blood unit donated by him/ her is recorded on the donor card.

III. Donor card shall be issued to donor against signature of receipt to be preserved. Donor cards without signature appended on it may not be accepted by Blood Bank authorities.

IV. In all cases where donor cards are distributed through organisers of blood donation, receipt of delivery to donor cards to each donor must be insisted after distribution so as to ensure that genuine donor gets the donor card and keeps the same in personal custody.

V. While issuing blood units, mobile number of patient party and signature of person receiving the blood units must be recorded in issue register. Private nursing homes and hospitals must be advised to record mobile number of patient/ patient party and also the name & contact number of the treating physician in the requisition form.
It is clarified that person collecting blood may give any mobile number for record only and not necessarily of the patient or his relatives. However, the collection of mobile number is for record only and not mandatory for issue of blood.

2. Issues related to the audit of the end use of the blood/products:

CMOHs, as Licensing authority of Nursing homes and hospitals, must conduct medical audit of utilisation of blood units issued free of cost to ensure that end user gets blood transfusion services free of cost without paying any transfusion charges or cost of blood to hospital/ donor credit card holder. Blood bank and district health authority will compulsorily verify end use of at least ONE PERCENT of cases and take necessary remedial actions against any misuse of the blood units meant for free transfusion. Monthly report of blood bank to SBTC must reflect number of inspections and end use medical audits.

This order takes with immediate effect.

Sd/- Onkar Singh Meena
Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare,
Project Director, WBSAP&CS
&
Member Secretary, SBTC, Government of West Bengal

No. SBTC-285 dated 12.02.2015, Source