Cuttack, May 31: The controversy over the selling of blood plasma from the Central Red Cross Blood Bank in the city to a private company has taken a new turn with the National Human Rights Commission seeking a report on it from the secretary of the health department.

The State Blood Transfusion Council and the Odisha State AIDS Control Society had decided to sell blood plasma at a joint meeting on April 29. Subsequently, the Central Red Cross Blood Bank in Cuttack sold nearly 200 units of blood plasma to the private company.

A controversy began over this earlier this month when media reports raised questions on the legitimacy of the decision to sell blood plasma to a private company at a time when the state was facing acute shortage of blood.

The reports forced the then health minister to seek a report saying that he was unaware of the decision of the health officials to allow blood banks to sell blood plasma.

Health department officials, on the other hand, claimed that blood plasma would be of no use after two years. Hence, the decision was taken to sell the surplus blood plasma available with the blood banks.

Earlier, blood plasma worth crores of rupees had to be destroyed.

The controversy reached the commission with Pipili-based India Media Centre’s managing trustee Akhand filing a complaint petition alleging that blood plasma was being sold to a private company at a time when blood bank officials were refusing to provide that to many patients.

“Acting on the complaint, the commission issued notice to the secretary of the department of health and family welfare on May 20 and directed it to submit a report within four weeks of receipt of the notice,” petitioner counsel Nishikant Mishra said.

Three components are drawn from a single unit of blood — platelets, packed red blood cells and plasma. Of the three units, there is a huge demand for platelets and packed red cells, while the clinical demand for plasma is mainly for treating the burn victims.

Sources said special secretary of the health department Nalinikanta Das, in his report to the health minister, had reportedly claimed that there was no illegality in selling surplus blood plasma to the private company.

The decision was taken to generate revenue for the blood banks.