Amritsar, April 28 (K.L. Jit Walia):Under the directions of the Punjab Government, the Department of Health and Family Welfare has intensified action against illegal blood donation camps being set up outside religious places. Special inspection teams were formed to investigate such activities.
A team constituted by Civil Surgeon Amritsar, Dr. Satinderjeet Singh Bajaj, which included District Health Officer Dr. Jaspal Singh and BTO Dr. Rekha Rana along with other staff, conducted a surprise inspection near Gurdwara Shaheedan Sahib following a complaint.
During the inspection, several serious technical deficiencies and violations were identified. These included organizing camps without proper permission, lack of qualified staff, conducting camps without trained medical professionals, absence of basic clinical infrastructure, and inadequate availability of essential medicines and emergency facilities to ensure donor safety.
Dr. Satinderjeet Singh Bajaj stated that as soon as the inspection team arrived, many organizers immediately shut down their camps and fled the scene. A detailed report regarding these illegal blood donation organizations has been submitted to the Civil Surgeon’s office for further legal and administrative action.
Issuing a strict warning to all blood centers and NGOs, Dr. Bajaj emphasized that all blood donation camps must be organized strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and the guidelines of the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC).
He stressed that “the safety of blood donors and the quality of collected blood are of utmost priority.” He further warned that any blood center found operating without qualified technical staff would face immediate cancellation of its license along with strict legal action.
Dr. Bajaj added that the Health Department will continue to closely monitor such activities to ensure that the dignity and credibility of blood donation—a noble cause—are maintained.
KL JIT WALIA
