HIV case: Guj FDCA serves notice to Junagadh Civil Hospital
PTI | 08:10 PM,Oct 30,2011Ahmedabad, Oct 30 (PTI) Gujarat's Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) has served a notice to Junagadh Civil Hospital (JCH) for deficiency in functioning of its blood bank unit, after 23 children, suffering from thalassemia, were found to be HIV positive during tests at the hospital. "After a routine inspection we have issued a show cause notice to Junagadh Civil Hospital and asked them to stop blood bank activity. They have been given two weeks time to reply back," FDCA Commissioner H G Koshia said. "The notice has been served for violation of schedule-II of the Drug and Cosmetics Act," he added. Central and state teams had inspected the hospital after 23 children suffering from thalassemia tested positive for HIV before undergoing blood transfusion at the hospital in September this year. The Gujarat government had also ordered an inquiry into how these children got HIV positive. The Junagadh Civil Hospital offers blood transfusion twice in a week free of cost and children suffering from various towns of the district visit the hospital to avail the facility. "Blood bank can resume operations after it rectifies the deficiency and submits an action taken report to us," Koshia said. "We shall re-inspect the bank post submission of the report and after being satisfied allow them to resume operations," he said. There are close to 150 blood banks in Gujarat which are inspected in routine course by the state FDCA. PTI VKB PD VKV
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