Blood banks to get free HIV testing kits

Blood banks to get free HIV testing kits
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

Nashik, Aug 28: The Maharashtra Government is considering free distribution of HIV testing kits to blood banks in the State in phases, Minister of State for Health Eknathrao Gaikwad said.

Addressing the first State-level conference of the newly formed "Maharashtra State Blood Banks Association", Gaikwad said that at present the government was facing a resource crunch and hence would not be able to fulfill the demand for free kits immediately. He, however, said the government would in due course fulfill the demand in phases. He urged blood banks to stop malpractices and increase the volume of blood collection.

Representatives from 124 blood banks from different parts of the State attended the conference organised by the Arpan Blood Bank, Nashik, run by the Nandkishor Education Society. A spokesman of the society said that there were 165 private and 60 government blook banks in the State and 124 private blood banks had participated in the conference.

The newly-formed association elected Dr R G Gandhi from Pune as its first chairman. The association has demanded that free HIV and HCV kits be supplied by the government; sales tax and octroi on blood bank equipment be waived; testing fee for blood supplied by banks free to thalassemia patients be borne by the government; and a mass awareness campaign should be launched by the government to persuade people to donate blood.