The Supreme Court has asked for detailed information on the cost and availability of Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAT) in government hospitals across India. NAT is used to detect Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) such as HIV and hepatitis in donated blood.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymala Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, directed advocate A. Velan, representing the PIL petitioner Sarvesham Manglam Foundation, to submit data on the expenses involved in conducting NAT tests and whether the facility is accessible in government hospitals, particularly for economically weaker patients.
The Delhi-based NGO has made the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as well as all states and Union Territories, parties to the petition. The plea seeks a declaration that the “Right to Safe Blood” is an integral part of the Right to Life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The petition further requests directions to make NAT screening mandatory in all blood banks nationwide to detect infections including HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, malaria, and syphilis in donated blood. The objective is to ensure a safe and infection-free blood supply for all recipients.
Highlighting what it described as a persistent systemic failure, the NGO stated that vulnerable patients especially those suffering from Thalassemia are at serious risk of life-threatening infections due to unsafe transfusions. Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder that requires patients to undergo blood transfusions every 15 to 20 days to survive.
The petition noted that for many patients, these transfusions have effectively become a “gamble with death.” It emphasized that India has one of the highest burdens of Thalassemia globally, making it crucial to strengthen and standardize blood screening practices across the country.
Citing recent incidents, the PIL pointed out that in 2025, six Thalassemia-affected children in Madhya Pradesh tested HIV-positive after receiving blood transfusions at Satna District Hospital. In the same year, five children in Jharkhand reportedly contracted HIV following transfusions at Sadar Hospital in Chaibasa. Additionally, in 2023, 14 children in Uttar Pradesh were infected with hepatitis and HIV after transfusions at a medical college.
