Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 8
The Nagaland Government informed the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench that the process of constituting blood banks in Tuensang, Kiphire, Mon, and Phek districts is "under progress".
The standing counsel representing the State Government and various related agencies, N Mozhui, gave this information to the Division Bench comprised of Justice Kakheto Sema and Justice Mitali Thakuria on August 7 while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning the implementation of the National Blood Policy in Nagaland.
The counsel, therefore, requested the Court to allow the State and respondents four weeks to complete the process. Allowing the submission, the Bench listed the PIL for the next hearing after four weeks.
During the last hearing on 25 May, the standing counsel submitted that steps were being taken to set up blood banks in four districts and sought further time to obtain instructions.
Long delay
According to court records, the PIL was filed on 14 September 2021 seeking implementation of the National Blood Policy and the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the four districts.
During an earlier hearing on 27 March 2024, the Court observed that the Union Ministry of Development of North East Region (DoNER) had accorded Administrative and Financial Sanction (AFS) under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) on 2 July 2020 to set up blood banks in the district hospitals of the four districts.
The total amount sanctioned was Rs 167.80 lakh or Rs 48.95 lakh per blood bank. The affidavit filed by State respondents also stated that a work order for setting up the blood banks had been issued to the contractor on 19 October 2022 after a bidding process.
During the 27 March hearing, Mozhui submitted that he had no instructions as to whether the four blood banks had been installed and had become operational. However, he informed the Court that the requisite licence had since been received from the Central Licensing Authority for the installation of a Blood Component Separator, which is an essential condition.
The Court also noted from the October 2022 work order that the supply was to be made within 90 days from the date of issuance, failing which the supply would be treated as cancelled. Accordingly, it directed the counsel to provide instructions on whether the four blood banks, ordered to be installed at the four district hospitals, had been installed and were operational. An up-to-date status regarding the Blood Component Separator at Naga Hospital Authority, Kohima, was also sought by the Court.
However, details on these issues were not available in the subsequent hearings after 27 March, although the counsel on 29 May submitted that blood banks had already been set up at Kohima and Dimapur.
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