MUMBAI, June 30 -- The State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) has directed blood banks across the state to avoid collecting blood beyond its average annual requirement based on the last three years. In a circular issued on Saturday, the SBTC, which has 417 blood banks across the state, has called for streamlining procedures and strict adherence to documentation. The instructions have come after investigations revealed that most blood collected from drives at reputed public hospitals was transferred to private blood banks and even neighbouring states at inflated costs. "Blood is not a commercial commodity; it is collected only from volunteer donors," said an official. "Also, since it has a shelf life of just 35 days, any excess collection is transferred to prevent wastage. A cap on blood collection could automatically stop all this." The functioning of Maharashtra's blood banks, particularly illegal transfers, came under scrutiny following an FDA investigation. The team from Maharashtra's public health department found that blood stocks were poorly stored and there were malpractices in blood transfers along with a lack of documentation and paper trails. The SBTC has also asked the 417 public and private blood banks in the state to conduct quarterly audits of its blood stocks and transactions and submit them to the FDA as well. The SBTC official said that the FDA was being kept in the loop because while SBTC monitors blood banks, only the FDA can take action. The banks have also been asked to be transparent about their stocks to the National Blood Transfusion Council and upload details of these on their website eraktkosh.com. While health officials welcomed the suspension of the two JJ Mahanagar blood bank officials, they pointed out that both were contract and not permanent employees. An activist said that the blood transfer scam could impact donor morale, which could affect blood collection....