The Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group (TPAG) has released a position paper outlining urgent reforms aimed at strengthening blood safety practices nationwide, particularly for transfusion‑dependent patients such as those living with thalassemia. The paper, compiled with input from public health experts, clinicians, legal professionals and patient advocates, highlights persistent weaknesses in India’s blood transfusion ecosystem that pose risks to patient health.
The document identifies gaps in screening protocols, inconsistent access to advanced diagnostic technologies, fragmented regulation and uneven adoption of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) across blood banks as key challenges undermining safe and timely access to blood. These weaknesses in screening and quality assurance mechanisms contribute to ongoing risks of transfusion‑transmitted infections, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
To address these systemic issues, the paper recommends mandating uniform NAT implementation at all blood banks to minimise infection risk and harmonise screening standards. It also calls for the enactment of a comprehensive Blood Safety Act to establish enforceable legal standards, and the creation of a National Thalassemia Control Programme to integrate prevention, screening and long‑term care strategies for thalassemia and other chronic blood disorders. In addition, the document suggests strengthening patient protections under existing disability laws and accelerating accessible gene therapy research with an emphasis on affordability.
TPAG has indicated plans to work with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, state governments and healthcare institutions to translate the recommendations into policy and implementation. The group frames safe blood access as both a public health priority and a matter of social equity, calling for coordinated action to make blood safety a guaranteed national standard rather than an uneven privilege.
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