In a shocking revelation, the Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) on Friday uncovered severe violations here at Ahmed Blood Bank in PWD during an inspection and directed to immediately cease all types of services.
According to an official of IHRA, in response to these grave blood banking violations, the authority instructed the blood bank to apply for registration with the Islamabad Healthcare Regulation Authority (IHRA) within 10 working days while non-compliance would result in strict actions.
It was the second visit of the IHRA team to Ahmed Blood Bank following a registration request. Astonishingly, the blood bank was found to be operational, blatantly disregarding IHRA’s previous directives. The In-charge or owner, Shahbaz Masih, was present on-site.
Further investigations revealed expired blood bags in the refrigerator, tempered expiry dates on gel cards, and expired reagents also found.
Disturbingly, critical screening tests for diseases such as Hepatitis B and C, HIV, Syphilis, and Malaria were not being conducted for blood bags. Cross-matching and grouping procedures were observed to be improperly executed, putting patients at serious risk.
Even more alarming were reports of expired and substandard blood bags being given to patients after altering collection and expiry dates. Quality control measures, including the washing and refilling of used bags without proper checks, were found to be routine practices.
A visible microbial growth was detected in platelet bags (a crucial blood component), raising serious concerns about contamination risks.
During the investigation, it was revealed that 17 blood bags were stored in the refrigerator, with two of them found to be expired.
