Thalassemia patients’ groups urge got to urgently pass blood transfusion Bill

THalassemia patients’ groups feature urged the unification authorities to desperately make it the National Blood Transfusion Bill, 2025, arguing that the recent incidents of children getting infected with HIV after blood transfusion point to systemic lapses rather than isolated failures, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.The Bill, seeking to regulate blood collection, testing, storage, and transfusion to prevent transfusion-transmissible infections such as HIV and hepatitis, was introduced during the Winter Session of Parliament earlier this month. It also proposes penalties for non-compliance.The issue was raised a day after it came to notice that four minor thalassemia patients, who underwent blood transfusion weeks ago, at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel district hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna, have allegedly tested HIV positive, officials said, adding that this was the second such incident in one month.Earlier in November, five children, who underwent blood transfusions after being affected by thalassemia, tested positive for HIV in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district.“We strongly urge the government to expedite the enactment of the National Blood Transfusion Act, 2025, to ensure that every transfusion-dependent patient receives safe, life-saving blood without compromise,” said Jharana Mallick, director of the Sarvesham Mangalam Foundation.Anubha Taneja Mukherjee, member secretary of the Thalassemia Patients Advocacy Group (TPAG), said: “For thousands of thalassemia patients, blood is not a treatment, it is a lifeline. This Bill recognises the urgency of creating a strong, unified national framework for safe and equitable access to quality blood. Parliament must prioritise and pass this law at the earliest. The dignity, safety, and future of patients cannot wait.”“The incident in Madhya Pradesh is shocking as we were still processing the Jharkhand case. This incident raises the urgent need of enforcement of the National blood transfusion bill 2025 which seeks to regulate blood collection and transfusion through a dedicated National Blood Transfusion Authority,” says, Dr Sangeeta Pathak, secretary general of Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohaematology.According to experts, for individuals with thalassemia, regular blood transfusions are essential for survival from early childhood. However, repeated transfusions carry serious risks, including iron overload and the potential transmission of life-threatening infections such as HIV and hepatitis C if blood is inadequately screened.Explaining the dangers of insufficient testing, during blood donation Dr NK Ganguly, former director at ICMR, said: “If a blood sample is taken during the latent period, routine tests may not detect infection. Specialised testing and careful screening are required, especially for thalassemia patients who receive large volumes of blood transfusions,” he said.He pointed out that Bone Marrow Transplantation and stem cell therapy are the only curative treatment options available for thalassemia, but both remain largely out of reach for most patients due to their high cost and limited availability. He explained that a bone marrow transplant requires a matched donor, prolonged hospitalisation, and intensive post-transplant care, with costs often running into several lakhs or even crores of rupees.He added that Stem cell therapy, while promising, is even more expensive and is available at only a few specialised centres.“For many families, especially those from economically weaker backgrounds, these treatments are financially unviable, forcing patients to depend on lifelong blood transfusions and chelation therapy instead,” Ganguly added.