Becomes 1st DH in J&K to have such facility
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, July 24: In a major achievement for Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar, Central Licences Approving Authority (CLAA), Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) which works under Directorate General of Health Services, Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, has granted permission to its Blood Centre to prepare blood components as additional products.
Sources said this is indeed a major achievement for Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar as till date only three medical institutes viz. GMC Jammu, GMC Srinagar and SKIMS Soura had this permission. Thus, with the approval of the CLAA, Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar has become 1st District Hospital in the whole Jammu and Kashmir where such facility is available.
As per the sources, the Hospital has applied for the CLAA permission around 2-3 years back but due to COVID pandemic, the matter could not be followed by the then administration of the Hospital. The present Medical Superintendent Dr Narinder Bhatial, however, followed the case vigorously and in the month of May this year, a joint team of CDSCO and Drug & Food Control Organization (DFCO) J&K assessed the facility.
“The team pointed out some shortcomings in the facility and asked the Hospital administration to remove all the shortcomings and apply fresh. As desired, the Hospital administration within a very short time removed all the shortcomings and applied fresh. Accordingly, the joint team of CLAA and DFCO J&K again visited the facility last month and expressed their satisfaction over infrastructure, manpower as well as equipments of the Blood Centre and thus, granted approval to the facility for preparing blood components,” sources disclosed.
Sources revealed while the approval was granted by the CLAA on July 15 this year but the Hospital administration received the copy of the approval only yesterday. “CLAA hereby approves the grant of permission to prepare Blood Components as additional products under license number JK/01/63, valid upto 27-09-2024, issued in favour of Blood Centre, Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar, J&K,” a communiqué received from CLAA said.
“It is really a major achievement for Government Hospital, Gandhi Nagar as even new Medical Colleges of Kathua and Rajouri have failed to get CLAA permission for preparing blood components and they are also dependent on GMC Jammu but now patients in need of Red Blood Cells, Platelets, Plasma and Cryo-Precipitate will be able to get the same even at Government Hospital, Gandhi Nagar,” they maintained.
When contacted, Medical Superintendent, Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar, Dr Narinder Bhatial, confirmed upgradation of the Blood Centre of the Hospital into Blood Component Lab. He said that they had already procured all the requisite equipments to prepare blood components and also deep freezers to store them, at the cost of Rs 87 lakh and now after getting permission from CLAA, they have started preparing blood components. He said the upgraded Blood Centre of the Hospital will also reduce the burden on GMC Jammu to a great extent.
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