Blood bank gets notice over donor’s death
Notice to Prathama follows FDCA inquiry into 27-year-old’s death after blood donation
Yogesh.Avasthi
Posted On Sunday, September 01, 2013 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2013090120130901020733109f6cb58aa/Blood-bank-gets-notice-over-donor%E2%80%99s-death.html
Insurance agent Lalji complained of chest pain an hour after he donated blood
The Food and Drug Control Administration has issued a show-cause notice to citybased Prathama Blood Centre, over the death of a 27- year-old man at a blood donation drive in Kadi on July 20. According to Prathama’s managing director Mahesh Mohatta, Lalji, who worked as an insurance agent, returned to the collection van an hour after he had donated blood, complaining of chest pain.
“Technicians took him to a nearby cardiologist, but had to take him on to a hospital for some reason. He died en route,” Mohatta said. While the show-cause notice is available on FDCA’s website, Mohatta says the blood bank hasn’t received it as yet. Hemant Koshia, commissioner, FDCA, said, “We served a show-cause notice to Prathama regarding the Kadi incident a week ago, giving them 15 days to respond.
Once they tell us their side of story, we will decide the future course of action.” Mohatta insists that Lalji’s death had nothing to do with donating blood. “Any adverse effects to donation manifest within two-to-three minutes, not after an hour. So we had his blood tested in four of India’s best labs. Reports show that he had elevated levels of homocysteine, which indicates an underlying heart condition.
This amino acid does not show up in normal blood tests, which is why we did not notice it at first,” he said. Koshia also said Prathama employees who were present at the camp had informed FDCA about the incident. “They (Prathama) had sent us a mail detailing the incident, even before the autopsy report came in. Once that came, we instituted an inquiry and the committee found shortcomings on Prathama’s part, which we have mentioned in the show cause notice,” he said.
The FDCA’s show-cause notice comes after a three-member inquiry team found shortcomings in the blood bank’s operations. The team pointed out that Prathama is not allowed to operate outside Ahmedabad district, according to GSCBT (Gujarat State Council For Blood Transfusion) guidelines. Moreover, the blood bank’s technicians were not trained enough to give the necessary first aid, which could have saved the man’s life, it said. “The council’s guidelines are just those, guidelines. We have successfully carried out blood donations in other parts of the state before,” Mohatta said, defending the blood bank.
Yogesh.Avasthi
Posted On Sunday, September 01, 2013 http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/3/2013090120130901020733109f6cb58aa/Blood-bank-gets-notice-over-donor%E2%80%99s-death.html
Insurance agent Lalji complained of chest pain an hour after he donated blood
The Food and Drug Control Administration has issued a show-cause notice to citybased Prathama Blood Centre, over the death of a 27- year-old man at a blood donation drive in Kadi on July 20. According to Prathama’s managing director Mahesh Mohatta, Lalji, who worked as an insurance agent, returned to the collection van an hour after he had donated blood, complaining of chest pain.
“Technicians took him to a nearby cardiologist, but had to take him on to a hospital for some reason. He died en route,” Mohatta said. While the show-cause notice is available on FDCA’s website, Mohatta says the blood bank hasn’t received it as yet. Hemant Koshia, commissioner, FDCA, said, “We served a show-cause notice to Prathama regarding the Kadi incident a week ago, giving them 15 days to respond.
Once they tell us their side of story, we will decide the future course of action.” Mohatta insists that Lalji’s death had nothing to do with donating blood. “Any adverse effects to donation manifest within two-to-three minutes, not after an hour. So we had his blood tested in four of India’s best labs. Reports show that he had elevated levels of homocysteine, which indicates an underlying heart condition.
This amino acid does not show up in normal blood tests, which is why we did not notice it at first,” he said. Koshia also said Prathama employees who were present at the camp had informed FDCA about the incident. “They (Prathama) had sent us a mail detailing the incident, even before the autopsy report came in. Once that came, we instituted an inquiry and the committee found shortcomings on Prathama’s part, which we have mentioned in the show cause notice,” he said.
The FDCA’s show-cause notice comes after a three-member inquiry team found shortcomings in the blood bank’s operations. The team pointed out that Prathama is not allowed to operate outside Ahmedabad district, according to GSCBT (Gujarat State Council For Blood Transfusion) guidelines. Moreover, the blood bank’s technicians were not trained enough to give the necessary first aid, which could have saved the man’s life, it said. “The council’s guidelines are just those, guidelines. We have successfully carried out blood donations in other parts of the state before,” Mohatta said, defending the blood bank.
