Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 14: A group of leading health experts, legal professionals and patient advocates on Wednesday underscored the urgent need for comprehensive systemic reforms to safeguard patients who depend on regular blood transfusions for survival.
In a newly released position paper by the Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group (TPAG), the authors described access to safe, timely and equitable blood transfusion services as a matter of survival, dignity and constitutional obligation. The paper warned that existing gaps in India’s blood safety framework continue to expose vulnerable patients to avoidable and life-threatening risks.
The experts noted that individuals living with thalassemia, who require lifelong and frequent blood transfusions, face serious dangers due to inconsistent screening protocols, unequal access to advanced diagnostic technologies and fragmented regulatory oversight. These shortcomings, they said, increase the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C.
The contributors to the paper include former ICMR director-general Prof. N.K. Ganguly, public health advocate Prof. Bejon Kumar Misra, thalassemia patient advocate Suneha Paul, senior Supreme Court advocate P.C. Sen and BJP national spokesperson Tuhin A. Sinha.
The document frames blood safety as a core pillar of India’s healthcare system, stressing that it must be addressed through proactive planning rather than crisis-driven responses. It brings together patient testimonies, scientific data, legal analysis and public health insights to present a clear, action-oriented roadmap for strengthening the country’s blood transfusion ecosystem.
Based on consultations with policymakers, clinicians, scientists, legal experts and patient representatives, the paper identifies persistent structural challenges. These include the uneven implementation of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) across blood banks, the absence of a unified national blood law, disparities in access to safe blood in rural and underserved areas, and limited transparency and accountability within the transfusion system. According to the authors, these issues collectively erode patient confidence and expose high-risk populations to preventable harm.
Deepak Chopra, mentor to the Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group, said the paper is a call to place patient lives at the heart of policymaking. He emphasised the need to bring blood safety into the mainstream of healthcare governance and eliminate preventable risks through scientific standards, robust legislation and clear accountability mechanisms.
Among its key recommendations, the paper calls for mandatory Nucleic Acid Testing at all blood banks to reduce window-period infections and standardise screening nationwide, the enactment of a comprehensive and enforceable Blood Safety Act to clearly define patient rights and institutional duties, and the launch of a dedicated National Thalassemia Control Programme to integrate prevention, screening and long-term care.