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In a significant step to enhance safe blood and blood components for the healthcare infrastructure in the state, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the blood bank infrastructure by granting licenses to 26 more blood banks taking the total count of blood banks to 392 in the past one year from the earlier count of 366 blood banks in the previous year.
Maharashtra FDA had licensed 23 more blood banks until August, 2024 bringing the total count to 366 over the past three years. This strategic expansion aims to meet the dynamic healthcare needs of the state. According to estimates, Mumbai needs an estimated 1,000 to 1,400 units of blood daily.
According to official data, India requires an average of 14.6 million units of blood annually, but supply falls short by nearly 1 million units, resulting in critical gaps in emergency care.
“The expansion is an urgent requirement and blood safety is of equal importance as safe medicines. Maharashtra FDA has also initiated a blood banks inspection drive across the state to ensure safe blood and its components. A steady stock of safe blood and blood components is the main task that blood banks have been mandated to manage,” informed an official.
The national blood policy has mandated blood banks to attempt 100% component separation. Blood components like packed cells, platelets, fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate should be prepared keeping the demand and supply in mind. Packed cells have a shelf life of about 35 to 42 days (depending on the bags used), fresh frozen plasma have a shelf life of around one year and platelets have a shelf life of around 5 days.
“It is important that the right balance is maintained by each blood bank to ensure precious blood components are utilised for needy patients without impediments and at the same time they don't expire and get wasted,” according to an expert.
Blood platelets are required to help regulate depleting platelet counts in patients of dengue, leptospira and malaria. Burns, vaccine and plasma fractionation centres have an important role to stock up blood plasma. Surgeries, trauma cases, open heart surgeries and dialysis cases among others need a steady supply of packed cells (at times fresh packed cells of less than a week old).
Experts say that while blood donation is safe and simple, myths and lack of awareness continue to discourage voluntary donors, especially in rural areas.
The e-Raktkosh is a platform to provide information about blood banks, blood availability, blood donation camps and assistant automation. More than 3,800 blood centre are registered on e-Raktkosh from 29 states and 8 UTs.
The platform, enforcing the Drugs and Cosmetics (D&C) Act and National Blood Policy Standards and Guidelines, plays a pivotal role in managing the blood donation lifecycle. It ensures proper identification, tracking, and screening of donors, blood grouping, TTI screening, antibody screening, and component preparation.
The platform also includes a centralized blood inventory management system for real-time tracking of blood stocks and a robust biomedical waste management system.
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