The Supreme Court will hear in March whether Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) screening should be made mandatory for all blood banks across India to detect infections earlier.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard a public interest litigation (PIL) that asks the Court to direct nationwide implementation of NAT testing.
What the PIL Argues
The petition says NAT is a highly sensitive molecular test. It detects viral DNA/RNA directly in blood. The plea points to viruses such as HIV, Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV).
The petitioner’s counsel told the Court that NAT can detect more infections than the commonly used ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay). Counsel also said government hospitals in Delhi already use NAT testing.
Court Questions Costs and Feasibility
The Bench focused on feasibility and funding.
The Chief Justice asked the petitioner to address the cost-efficiency of NAT versus ELISA. He also asked whether States can meet the additional expenditure.
“Delhi can afford, in other states, who are struggling hard to even pay their employees, those who are unable to pay electricity charges, you want to put another burden on them?” the Chief Justice observed.
Bench Seeks Data and Wider Assessment
Counsel responded that the costs would be substantially lower. The Court, however, asked for supporting material.
The Chief Justice asked the petitioner to place data on how widely NAT testing is available in State hospitals. He also asked whether NAT is available across India or limited to a few States.
“You do your homework and find out in how many state hospitals it is available, is it available Pan India or in a few states? or there are some states where it is not available at all ...we don’t know that, you will have to find out,” the Chief Justice said.
