Absolute Lack Of Manpower In Blood Centres: Jharkhand High Court Issues Directions To State, Suggests Grievance Redressal Mechanism Including Mobile App

The High Court has asked all private hospitals/blood banks to conduct blood donation drives in order to meet their respective demands.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Rajesh Shankar stated, “There is lack of manpower in blood banks as is evident from paragraph no. 16 of the supplementary counter affidavit dated 16.12.2025. There is absolute lack of manpower in all the blood centres in the entire State of Jharkhand.”

Amicus Curiae Khusboo Kataruka represented the Petitioner, while Assistant Counsel to Additional Advocate General III Gaurav Raj represented the Respondent.

Factual Background

The Court was considering a matter going on for over four years. The respondent-authorities had failed to implement Objective 8.5 of the National Blood Policy with respect to replacement-free blood transfusion in the State of Jharkhand. The said decision was reaffirmed by the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) in its various meetings. In the counter affidavit, the respondent-State had furnished data with respect to the number of blood donation camps organised by the private entities over the last three months (July, 2025 to September, 2025). This indicated that only 13% of the total blood collection in the month of July, 2025 was secured through voluntary blood donation, which marginally increased to 15-22% in August, 2025 and 25% in September, 2025.

Reasoning

The Bench noted that Clause 2.1 of the Transfusion Guidelines, which stipulates that relatives of patients should not be asked to arrange donors or blood, has not been followed to date, as it was only the relative of the patients who was asked to arrange donors or blood. The private hospitals/blood banks had not adhered to the condition of organising voluntary blood donation camps to cater to their respective demands and to provide safe blood to the patients.

The Bench referred to the counter-affidavit filed by the respondent-State, wherein it was stated that 15% of the blood collection was made through voluntary means. The respondents had furnished the reports of Day Care Centres from 9 districts of the State of Jharkhand in their counter affidavit, which suggested that essential drugs such as Iron Chelators and Hydroxyurea were not available. No data was furnished with respect to the availability of packed red blood cells, and the data also did not specify that the medical practitioners deputed in the said Day Care Centres were trained to treat the patients of Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Anaemia.

The Bench mentioned, “If this was not enough, the respondents also failed to comply with the order dated 26.02.2018 passed in W.P. (PIL) No. 3700 of 2015, whereby the respondent-State had though made submission that Blood Component Separation Units (BCSUs) would be established in every district during 2018-19, however, till date no such unit has been established in the State of Jharkhand.”

It was further noticed that the toll-free helpline number provided by the respondent State did not have any provision to register the grievances. “Lastly and more importantly, even regular inspection of blood banks is not carried out quarterly, which is mandatory as per the SOP made by the Department of Health, Government of Jharkhand”, the order read.

Thus, the Bench issued the following directions:

• The respondent authorities i.e. Department of Health & State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) are directed to ensure that 100% collection of blood is secured by way of voluntary blood donation through blood donation drives.
• All private hospitals/blood banks are directed to conduct blood donation drives in order to meet their respective demands.
• The respondent authorities are directed to establish Blood Component Separation Units (BCSUs) in every district of the State of Jharkhand within a period of three months from today.
• The respondent authorities are directed to make all Day Care Centres fully functional in accordance with the National Health Mission Guidelines on Hemoglobinopathies in India (2016) along with the Guidelines for the National Programme for Prevention & Management of Sickle Cell Disease (2023).
• The respondent authorities are directed to establish a separate dedicated grievance redressal mechanism, including Mobile App, Website and Toll Fee Number to provide any real-time assistance for arrangement of blood (without replacement) to the patients in need with a facility to register the grievance in this regard.
• The respondent authorities are directed to conduct inspection of all blood banks in the State of Jharkhand in every three months and to ensure the availability of adequate manpower as recommended in the Report of Expert Working Group of the DGHS (Directorate General of Health Services) (F No. 18- 85/2018 dated 10.01.2019).

The matter has now been listed on March 20, 2026.

Cause Title: Court on its Own Motion v. The State of Jharkhand (Case No.: W.P.(PIL) No. 6062 of 2025)

Appearance

Petitioner: Amicus Curiae Khusboo Kataruka, Advocate Shubham Kataruka, Atul Gera, In Person

State: Assistant Counsel to Additional Advocate General III Gaurav Raj,

RIMS: Advocate A.K. Singh

Intervenors: Advocate Md. Shadab Ansari

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