Lack of staff ails Rajawadi hospital blood bank

Reply to a Right to Information (RTI) query received by an activist reveals that 11 out of 16 posts in the Rajawadi Hospital blood bank are vacant. These posts are to be filled as per the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) norms.

The details were provided by the Rajawadi Hospital's Public Information Officer Dr Vidya Thakur in reply to an RTI application about the number of FDA-approved staff at the blood bank.

According to the reply given to activist Chetan Kothari, the bank has one medical officer, two technicians along with three technicians from Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society (MDACS), and two technical supervisors, while a staff nurse's papers have been sent for approval.

The RTI reply dated April 1 states that the total number of blood collection units in 2016 was 4,607.

As per the norms set by the SBTC on the basis of world load at the blood bank states that if the bank's annual collection is between 2,000 units and 5,000 units, the number of posts in should be four medical officers, seven technicians, two technical supervisor and three staff nurses.

"While other blood banks also have a few vacant posts, this has the highest vacancies. Even if the reply states that they have three more technicians, logically they just have two technicians," Kothari said.