Advocacy Group Calls for Unified Blood Law to Ensure Safe Transfusions in India

Deepak Chopra and Anubha Taneja-Mukherjee of TPAG met Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to push for a consolidated blood law in India. They argue that existing regulations are outdated and fragmented, stressing the need for modernized laws to ensure safe blood transfusions, crucial for thalassemia patients.

In a bid to modernize India's outdated legal framework on blood transfusion, Deepak Chopra, Mentor of the Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group (TPAG), and Anubha Taneja-Mukherjee, Member Secretary of TPAG, met with Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal. They submitted a representation seeking the formulation of a consolidated blood law.

The representation criticized the antiquated Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1945, which governs blood transfusion but neglects critical aspects like blood screening methodologies. It also urged the full implementation of the Common Cause Judgment of 1996, which had called for a separate legislation dedicated to blood.

In a letter to Meghwal, TPAG highlighted the fragmented nature of current blood safety protocols, emphasizing that thalassemia patients, who require fortnightly transfusions, would benefit greatly from a unified law. It pointed out that the National Blood Transfusion Council and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules of 1945 leave significant gaps in ensuring blood safety, emphasizing the urgent need for reform.

(With inputs from agencies.)