Most hospitals lack BTOs, RTI reveals

Most city hospitals situated at South Mumbai don’t have sufficient blood transfusion officers (BTOs), in contravention of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) rules, which require the presence of at least four BTOs at blood banks, revealed an RTI query.

The query revealed that most hospitals in South Mumbai — including those run by private firms, state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) — are in violation of FDA rules. This was revealed in a response given to an RTI query filed by a doctor, who did not wish to be named.

To run a blood bank on a 24/7 basis, along with blood donation camps, the presence of at least four BTOs working in shifts is a must, according to the FDA response. It is also mandatory that collection and transfusion of blood and its components are done in the presence of a BTO to avoid mistakes.

The average salary of a BTO is between Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh per month. By hiring fewer BTOs, hospitals and blood banks are saving money.

A senior FDA official said that BTO posts in civic-run, state-run and private hospitals and blood banks have been lying vacant for quite some time now. The blood bank at Bhabha Hospital, Bandra was asked to respond to a personal hearing based on the notice served by the Maharashtra FDA as the bank was functioning without a single BTO, according to a senior FDA official.

“Most of the blood banks do not have a full-time BTO. Several posts of technicians are vacant too. We will give them notice for adding the requisite staff,” said B.R. Masal, FDA joint commissioner (drugs).