HYDERABAD, APRIL 20, 2024: Officials of Drugs Control Administration, Telangana busted the illegal preparation/supply of blood components, including Single Donor Platelets, Packed RBC, and Plasma by the blood bank named ‘Asian Blood Centre’ located at AS Rao Nagar, Medchal-Malkajgiri District
In an official release here on Saturday, DCA Director-General VB Kamalasan Reddy said following credible information, officials from the Drugs Control Administration, raided the premises of the blood bank ‘Asian Blood Centre’ (A Unit of Asian Health Foundation), located at Plot No. 2, Shanti Surabhi Complex, Dr AS Rao Nagar ‘X’ Roads, Medchal-Malkajgiri District, on the Friday and Saturday.
The blood bank (blood centre), ‘Asian Blood Centre’, was permitted by the Drugs Control Administration to carry out activities, including the collection, storage, processing, and distribution of ‘Whole Human Blood’ only. The blood centre was not authorized to prepare and distribute blood components such as Single Donor Platelets, Packed RBC, Plasma, etc.
During the raid, officials found that the blood bank ‘Asian Blood Centre’ is illegally preparing blood components such as Packed RBC, Plasma and, supplying them to the patients. Single donor platelets are prepared through a process called ‘Plateletpheresis’. Asian Blood Centre does not have the capability to carry out the apheresis process, as the blood centre does not have equipment such as an ‘apheresis machine’ or a ‘Blood Cell Separator’.
Blood centre technician J. Ravi Kumar revealed during the raid that Single Donor Platelets are illegally procured from other blood banks (blood centres) and were being supplied to the patients in an unauthorized manner. During the raid, DCA officials seized blood components viz. 02 Packed RBCs bags and 1 Plasma Bag, along with account books, sales bill books of whole blood and blood components, blood requisition forms, and labels of Single Donor Platelets from the premises of Asian Blood Centre. T. Shiva Teja, Drugs Inspector, Kapra and B. Praveen, Drugs Inspector, Shameerpet are among the officers who carried out the raid.
The public may report any complaints regarding illegal activities concerning medicines through the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana Toll-Free Number 1800-599-6969, which is operational from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm on all working days.
