72 private blood banks in Maharashtra to face action for overcharging patients

Action has been initiated against 72 of the 328 blood banks in the state and will be completed within next three months, the government said

The state government will act against 72 private blood banks that overcharge patients in the next three months, public health minister Deepak Sawant said on Thursday.

Around 1.8% of the blood collected goes waste in the state, which is lesser than the national average of 2.04%.

Legislators Eknath Khadse (BJP) and Shashikant Shinde (Nationalist Congress Party) raised the question of commercialisation and profiteering by some of private banks. There have been instances of blood banks charging patients more than the stipulated prices, they alleged.

Replying to it, Sawant said action has been initiated against 72 of the 328 blood banks in the state and it will be completed within 3 months.

The minister said the government was serious about implementation of the Clinical Establishment Act, as suggested by the Centre, to curb overcharging and profiteering by doctors and hospitals. He said the state was apprehensive about some of the clauses in the draft sent by the Centre as they could act against the interest of the patients.

Admitting that 1.8% of the blood collected goes waste, Sawant said the percentage is still less than the national average of 2.04%. He said the government is considering a centre at KEM hospital in Mumbai to separate plasma from blood to avoid wastage.

Sawant also told the legislative Assembly about the action was taken against 20 quacks in a special drive.

Replying to another question, Sawant said that during a special drive undertaken from March 15 to May 31, 81 bogus doctors have been booked and first information reports have been registered against 20 of them. “We screened 37,068 hospitals and found 6,742 of them were not complying with the rules. Environment-related rules have been flouted by 2,084 clinics and doctors. One hundred and sixty nine clinics and hospitals have been penalised, while 27 of them have been sealed. We also found violation of the provisions in Medical Termination Act 1971 by five sonography centres that faced action,” he said.