Delhi High Court Issues Notice On PIL To Provide 24 Hours Service For Blood Donation Without Restrictions

The Delhi High Court has issued notice on a PIL seeking direction on the Union Government to take necessary action to provide 24 hours service for blood donation, without any restrictions.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela sought response of the Centre through Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

The matter will be heard on July 09.

The plea has been filed by a lawyer- Vishal Arun Mishra, who has contended that the volunteer donors face significant difficulties in donating blood due to restricted operative hours of the blood bank, i.e. till 4 pm or 5 pm.

“For example, the petitioner himself is an Advocate-On-Record and has to be available in the Courts till 05:00 to 05:30 pm, hence, whenever petitioner gets any call during working hours, he has to deny the same due to his professional obligations,” the plea states.

It adds that blood donation is a noble cause but many volunteer donors or NGOs for blood donations are not able to provide service to the patient due to restricted hours of hospitals.

“Despite the blood banks being operational 24 hours, the blood donation facility operates only within limited hours, causing difficulties for donors and jeopardizing patient care. This issue extends to private hospitals, which have adopted similar restrictive timings, further aggravating the problem,” the plea states.

It further adds that the Central Government should take initiatives to encourage the spirit of volunteer blood donors and ensure their safety and comfort in running hospitals on priority basis.

The plea has been filed through Advocates U.M Tripathi, Rupali Panwar and Shubham Gupta.

Title: VISHAL ARUN MISHRA v. Union of India