The Public Information Officer stated that as per the order passed by the SIC, there has to be transparency in information related to the collected blood being used
After a second appeal by RTI activist Chetan Kothari, the State Information Commission (SIC) has ordered the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) to upload all relevant data on their website by August 15.
Kothari had earlier filed an RTI application with the SBTC, asking for details regarding the staff in blood banks under the Health Department and Medical Education Department.
Upon finding the information inadequate, he filed another RTI application. Through its reply, it was learned that there are 326 blood banks in the state of Maharashtra, out of which 33 belong to the Public Health Department and 18 to the Medical Education Department.
The Public Information Officer (PIO) stated that as per the order passed by the SIC, there has to be transparency in information related to the collected blood being used.
In a recent order passed on June 5, Ajit Kumar Jain, PIO, said that the SBTC has to collect the necessary information from all 326 blood banks. The information required will include the cost of blood, collection capacity of the blood bank, complaints received against the bank, action taken on them, and how they are utilising the blood received. The information will have to be published on the website by mid-August.
Speaking of the order passed, Kothari said, "I hail this landmark judgment. The staff of blood banks have a direct impact on its testing quality and also on prevention of blood wastage. The other issue highlighted during the hearing is also important. The second appeal made available information on blood wastage and also how blood is sold at higher rates on many occasions."
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