Can hospitals ask for replacement donation in lieu of donating blood? Jharkhand High Court has ruled that replacement donation cannot be demanded from patients for blood transfusions.

Ranchi. Generally, in hospitals, patients are asked to donate blood instead of donating blood. Due to this, patients and their relatives have to face difficulties. Now Jharkhand High Court on Saturday has given an important decision on blood replacement donation. Jharkhand High Court Justice S. The bench of Justice Chandrashekhar and Justice Navneet Kumar has said that blood replacement donation cannot be sought in lieu of blood in any hospital in the state. The court said that this practice is against the rules of the National Blood Transfusion Council and the National Blood Policy.

Ranchi’s social organization Life Savers had filed a PIL in the Jharkhand High Court. It was said in the petition that in many hospitals, a condition is imposed on the family members of the patients to donate the same amount of blood in exchange for blood. In the PIL, the condition of blood replacement donation was called illegal and inhumane. During the hearing on the PIL, the bench of Jharkhand High Court said that there is a risk of spreading infection in the patient due to the practice of blood replacement donation. Because people donate blood in a hurry. Due to this the blood is not tested properly. Due to which donated blood can cause dangerous infections like hepatitis, HIV.

Jharkhand High Court said that to meet the need of blood, all hospitals should set up blood donation camps. The High Court also directed the Jharkhand government to organize blood donation camps in all the hospitals. Jharkhand High Court has also asked to completely end blood replacement. During the hearing, the lawyers of Life Savers told the court that the National Blood Policy clearly mentions voluntary blood donation. There is no provision for forced blood replacement. The important decision of the Jharkhand High Court has provided relief to those patients admitted in government and private hospitals of the state, whose families were asked for blood replacement instead of donating blood.