Both the donor questionnaire and health check-up are administered to every prospective donor
Health | Despite a landmark verdict on Section 377 by the Supreme Court, which decriminalised gay sex in the country, the Maharashtra arm of National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) recently issued a newly-updated blood donor screening questionnaire to Mumbai-based blood banks. The new questionnaire, designed on the lines of developed nations, will now mandate the blood collectors to ask the male donors about their sexual behaviour and whether they have multiple partners or engaged in the male-to-male sexual activity. For decades, the ban on homosexuals to donate blood exists in India and those who are at high risk of suffering from prolonged diseases such as cancer, allergies, respiratory ailments and organ failure are also not allowed to donate blood.
For the first time after the apex court judgment, a government-body has chalked out a clear ban on homosexual men and women donating blood. According to blood banks, earlier questionnaires asked donors whether they have any reason to believe that they might have been infected by HIV, hepatitis, malaria or other illness.| Section 377
NBTC’s 2017 revised guidelines, on the selection of blood donors reiterate that transgenders, bisexual men and female sex workers can never donate blood as they have a higher risk of contracting HIV and Hepatitis B and C.
Both the donor questionnaire and health check-up are administered to every prospective donor to enable a quick history taking, physical examination and blood test.
Dr Shobhini Rajan, in charge of blood safety at National Blood Transfusion Council, told The Times of India, “The new questionnaire aims to reinforce pre-donation screening as blood units are subjected to tests only after collection. The donors cannot be at high risk of contracting infections and donate blood.”
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