Blood banks under hospital directors

Nadira Gunatilleke

Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has decided to hand over all 74 blood banks in Sri Lanka to the directors of relevant hospitals to decentralise administration. Blood banks were administrated by the National Blood Centre (NBC), a Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said.

He said Minister de Silva held a six hour discussion with officials of the Ministry and relevant institutions and made this decision. The NBC has over 300,000 blood donors.

According to the spokesman there are 74 blood banks and are located in State hospitals.

The NBC carried out the administration of all these blood banks.

Hereafter, Hospital Directors of relevant hospitals have the responsibility to provide staff and manage their blood banks.

It is discovered that it is difficult for the NBC to administrate outstation blood banks.

The new strategy will be more effective and improve outstation productivity. The Directors of the relevant hospitals can solve problems of their blood banks without delay, the spokesman said.

Minister de Silva requested the Auditor General to submit his report on the NBC soon and also requested how a private television channel crew was able to be in the National Hospital Blood Bank without permission while its internal Audit Department `sealed' one of the blood bank's rooms without following formal procedures.