Maharashtra FDA suspends licences of three Mumbai blood banks over watches given to donors

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the licences of three blood banks in Mumbai for three to five days after an inquiry found that Titan watches were distributed as gifts to donors at a blood donation camp held in April this year, in violation of National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) guidelines.

The blood banks are the Indian Red Cross Society Blood Centre, Mumbai; the blood centre at Dean Grant Medical College and Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals, Byculla; and the B.Y.L. Nair Charitable Hospital Blood Centre, Mumbai Central. Their licences were suspended for five days, three days and three days respectively under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.

The blood centres at Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals and Nair Hospital have appealed against the suspension orders before the State Government and have secured temporary stays on them. The Indian Red Cross Society Blood Centre is reported to have not sought such relief.

According to the FDA, the camp was organised by the Young Star Committee, Altamount Road. Advertisements for the camp stated that donors would receive Titan watches as gifts. The NBTC's Guidelines for Voluntary Blood Donation prohibit offering gifts or inducements to donors at voluntary blood donation camps.

During the initial inquiry, the organisers and the participating blood banks denied any knowledge of the distribution of gifts. FDA officials then contacted several donors, who confirmed that they had received watches.

Following these findings, the FDA inspected the three blood banks on August 22 and issued show-cause notices on September 2 over the violations detected. Personal hearings were held on September 22, during which the blood banks submitted their explanations. The FDA found the explanations unsatisfactory and ordered the suspension of their licences under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said blood donation was an important act of social responsibility and service to humanity, and that gifts or inducements should not be used to encourage donations.

"The FDA is committed to ensuring that no gifts or inducements are used to encourage blood donation and that the relevant guidelines are followed. Blood banks must strictly comply with the applicable legal provisions and guidelines," Mr. Mundhe said.

The prohibition on gifts is central to India's policy of voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation, which follows World Health Organization guidance. Health authorities hold that blood given freely, without payment or reward, is safer for recipients and protects donors from being pressured by incentives. Inducements are also seen as unfair to people who cannot donate for medical reasons and to those who give blood without expecting anything in return.

The suspensions do not bar the blood banks from contesting the orders, and the appeals before the State Government will now decide whether the penalties stand. Until those proceedings conclude, the affected centres face a short interruption in licensed operations, which could affect supply to the hospitals they serve.

The case highlights the gap between the rules governing blood collection and their enforcement at the ground level, where camps are often organised by community groups and charitable committees. The FDA's action puts blood banks on notice that responsibility for what happens at a camp rests with them, even when the event is hosted by an outside organisation.