To provide safer blood to patients, the state government is planning to ensure that it is tested using the Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) to make certain that it is HIV-free.

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Sawant was replying to a calling attention motion by Hasan Mushrif (NCP- Kagal) and others in the state legislative assembly on Monday. Sawant said from January to December 2014, 41 people in the state had been infected by HIV through blood.

"I admit this is a serious issue," said Sawant, adding that presently, tests like Elisa generation I, II and III were used for HIV screening. Sawant noted that the Centre had asked all states to insist on NAT tested blood.

Three private blood banks in Mumbai, and one each in Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik and Nagpur use the NAT to screen blood. The state will ask other private banks to ensure that the blood they store is healthy through the same method.

The state has sought Rs18.12 crore from the Centre under the National Health Mission (NHM) to establish the testing facilities through the state AIDS control society at six places, namely, Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Amravati, Nagpur and Nashik. These centres will test the blood collected at district-level banks for HIV, HBV and HCV.

Sawant said while they had a list of HIV-affected people, the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) guidelines prevented the disclosure of these names. He said they were planning to develop a software with names of the patients, so if they donate blood to banks, their names will be flagged, allowing the bank to discard the infected blood. Sawant said the problem lay in the rules preventing the disclosure of these names.

According to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, it is mandatory for blood banks in Maharashtra to test for five infections, namely, HIV, HBV, HCV, Malaria and Syphilis. The law is implemented by the FDA and the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

Maharashtra has 614 counseling and testing centres and 70 Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres, of which 12 are in Mumbai.

However, officials said that using the NAT test to screen blood, would cost around Rs 800 to 1,000, adding to the price of a unit of blood, which is presently available for Rs 850 in government blood banks.