Health minister, secretary spat over blood plasma sale

BHUBANESWAR: As the row over the state government selling blood plasma to a private company rages, health minister Damodar Rout and secretary Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra appeared to be involved in a tug-of-war.
While Rout, expressing his ignorance about the sale, has sought a report from the Odisha State AIDS Control Society (OSACS), Mohapatra found no harm in the sale of plasma.
"To prevent wastage of the blood product as well as generate more revenue to upgrade infrastructure in the blood banks, we decided to sell surplus blood plasma," said the health secretary. "The blood plasma will be of no use after two years," he said.
The decision to sell the blood plasma was taken at a joint meeting of the State Blood Transfusion Council and OSACS on April 29. "I have no idea about such a decision. I am waiting for the report from OSACS," Rout told the media.
The Central Red Cross Blood Bank in Cuttack sold nearly 200 units to the private company last month at Rs 1,000 per litre, department sources said.