The central government is planning to make Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) mandatory for blood transfusions in the country but in a phased manner, News18 has learnt. It is working on establishing “capital blood centres” and extension of “national EQA (external quality assessment) programmes” across India. NAT is the safest blood testing method that detects major and life-threatening viruses which are transmitted through blood such as hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), malaria, and syphilis. Ensuring blood safety against transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI) remains a big challenge across India.
According to a letter by the chief of the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC), accessed by News18, NAT is planned to be introduced in a phase-wise “hub and spoke” manner in India.
“…I would like to inform that the Government of India is committed to provide safe and adequate quantity of blood through an organized blood transfusion service in the country,” said the letter written by Anil Kumar, director, NBTC.
The letter was to Dr JS Arora, general secretary of the National Thalassemia Welfare Society (NTWS).
Arora – on behalf of thalassemic patients who undergo hundreds of blood transfusions in their lifetime – had urged for making NAT mandatory for blood donors in the country.
How govt is planning to provide safe blood
With the objective to achieve safe transfusions, the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) – under the ministry of health and family welfare – is planning to expand the national EQA programme to all states and union territories in a phased manner.
The national EQA (external quality assessment) programme allows for a comparison of a laboratory’s testing procedures to other laboratories across the country. It involves running blind patient-like samples, and comparing one lab’s results to peer results, in order to monitor the accuracy of reporting.
“The government of India is planning to expand the National EQA Programme to all states and UTs in a phase-wise manner and NAT testing facility will also be available in these EQAs centres,” the letter said. “Thus NAT testing is planned to be introduced in a phase-wise hub and spoke manner.”
Presently, there are over 50 EQA centres across India.
Making of ‘capital blood centres’
The letter said that the “government is also working on a concept proposal on capital blood centre in each state which is envisaged to have NAT testing facility”.
As per the plan, the government aims to create a “capital blood centre” as an apex blood screening facility in each state and every hospital that does not have NAT capacity will get its tests done from these centres.
While the government is still working on sharpening the proposal, it aims to prevent hospitals from running their own tests unless they have NAT or other recognised testing available.
Presently, NAT, as per the letter, is “largely available in Institutes of National Importance (INIs) like AIlMS in New Delhi, PGI Chandigarh…”
“Some of the states premier institutes like Christian medical college, Vellore, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), Lucknow, King George’s Medical University (KGMC) Lucknow etc. also have NAT testing facility,” it said.
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