New guidelines to curb paid donations, improve blood transfusions

The government has prepared fresh guidelines to promote voluntary and unpaid blood donations and improve the safety and efficacy of blood transfusion services in India.

- Priyanka Sharma

The objective is to ensure that all clinical requirements of blood in the country are met only through voluntary blood donations, according to the guidelines developed by the blood transfusion service division of the Directorate General of Health Services in the health ministry and the National Blood Transfusion Council.

The guidelines discourage replacement blood donation by which donors are paid by the family of the recipient.

"This often involves coercion and/or payment, which compromises the safety of the blood. The seroprevalence of transfusion-transmitted infections has been found to be higher in replacement as compared to voluntary blood donors," it said.