Government defends barring certain groups from list of blood donors | India News

New Delhi: The Center on Thursday justified the exclusion of transgender persons, men who have sex with men and female sex workers from the list of potential blood donors, saying the decision was not discriminatory but one based on health studies that found 6 to 13 times higher incidence of HIV among these groups.Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhatti told a three-judge bench headed by CJI Surya Kant that the National Blood Policy focused on sourcing blood from safe donor pools. “It is against policy to collect blood and components from high-risk groups,” Bhati said.“There is substantial evidence that transgender persons, men who have sex with men and female sex workers are at risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis B or C,” the health ministry said in its affidavit. Citing the Department of Health and Family Welfare’s annual report for 2020-21, it said, “HIV prevalence among transgender people is six to 13 times higher than adult HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men and female sex workers.“Similar restrictions on blood donors exist around the world for population groups with high prevalence of HIV and other transfusion-transmitted infections. For example, in most European countries, sexually active MSM are permanently excluded from donating blood,” the ministry said.The ministry said blood transfusion is one of the last resort for critically ill patients and the risk of TTI must be eliminated.Bhati said, “The issue needs to be judged from a public health perspective and not just from an individual right perspective, but aware of the stark reality of unequal access to quality healthcare in a vast and diverse country.”