"You cannot donate blood": NACO to LGBTQ community
According to National Aids Control Organization, LGBTQ community fall under the category of 'High Risk Group' and hence they aren't allowed to donate blood. This shocking revelation was made public, following an RTI query filed by activist Chetan Kothari on April 26. The RTI was received by NACO's Blood Safety Division on June 22 and was replied to on June 30.
Why is LGBTQ community classified as High Risk Group
Dr. Farah Ingale, Senior Internal Medicine Specialist at the Hiranandani Hospital in Vashi explained that the reason LGBTQ community was categorized as High Risk Group was because they have multiple sexual partners, raising the risk of contracting HIV. Ingale added that there were tests before blood transfusion, but they weren't 100 percent accurate, therefore it was better to avoid taking the risk.
Harish Iyer lashes out at government authority for labeling LGBTQ
LGBTQ activist Harish Iyer lashed out at government authority for labeling the community. He said that everybody is 'high risk' asserting that the blood given to any laboratory needs to be tested. Iyer added that this was nothing but discrimination and asked the medical fraternity to stand up against such biases.
Let's take a cue from US
The US government in 2015 revoked its 30-year ban on blood donations by gay men saying they could donate 12 months after their last sexual contact. The Food and Drug Administration also said that latest discovery proved HIV cannot be restricted by indefinite banning.
Filing an RTI gave a clearer picture, says activist
Chetan Kothari, the activist who filed an RTI query on the same said the purpose of filing the RTI was to get a clear picture since many European countries don't allow LGBTQ community to donate blood. He further said that many government blood banks weren't aware about the guidelines and it acted as an awareness tool.
