MANGALDAI, June 18 � Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma today announced that all the blood banks of the State must record photographs of blood donors along with their names in the official register. He was addressing mediapersons here this afternoon while visiting the district for the first time after an unprecedented and unfortunate incident of transfusion of HIV infected blood from a blood bank itself rocked the State.
Dr Sarma said that looking at the risk factors implementation of such a new system of record keeping was important. Regarding the lapses on the part of the health department, he said the report of the technical inquiry committee had already been submitted but the whole matter would be clear only after a criminal investigation for which the Joint Director of Health, Darrang had been directed to lodge a police complaint.
Answering questions relating to engaging pathologists full time instead of medical officers from other departments with additional charges as was done in case of Mangaldai for almost ten years, the Minister said that a pathologist as full-fledged in-charge had already been appointed in Mangaldai blood bank, but due to shortage of pathologists this could not be made effective at all the blood banks of the State. Sarma also announced financial aid of one crore rupees for necessary furniture of the Trauma Centre and infrastructure development of the 200-bed Civil Hospital.
The Health Minister informed the media that the medical service in Darrang district has been deteriorating over the last couple of years and the district occupied the lowest position among the districts of the whole country as per a report of the Government of India.
Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary PP Varma who is holding the charge of one man inquiry committee formed by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to inquire into the blood bank incident, also separately visited the Civil Hospital here and recorded comments from different health staff, victims etc. Later talking to this correspondent he said he had been looking into the administrative aspect of the incident after the technical committee submitted their report.
