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State Agency Urges Blood Banks Across Maharashtra to Ramp Up Donation Camps


State Agency Urges Blood Banks Across Maharashtra to Ramp Up Donation Camps
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With blood donations dipping in February 2021, the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) has sent an appeal to all 373 blood banks across Maharashtra to amp their efforts in conducting blood donation camps. 

Data shows that the state has approximately 43,000 units of blood with a demand of 3,000 units per day. It is further said that yearly blood collection dropped from 70.23 lakh blood units back in 2019 to 15.45 lakh units in 2020 largely due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Although Maharashtra collected 1.94 lakh blood units in December 2020, the number has since dipped to 1.53 lakh units in January and 1.18 lakh units in February. This is a drop of 39 per cent over a two month period. Meanwhile, Mumbai reportedly has only 4,827 units of blood left. 

Given the current situation, the SBTC has said that the summer months will be challenging as they’re not expecting people to turn up for donations. Dr Arun Thorat, In-charge of SBTC said, “Last year, people were not even stepping out. All planned surgeries were cancelled. So, the blood requirement is low. But this year, we expect requirements in hospitals to increase.”

A handful of trusts and NGOs that conducted blood donation camps previously have now stopped completely. This is in large part due to the fact that foundations fear getting their donors infected with COVID-19 during the donation drive. 

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The short supply of blood is also impacting patients with thalassemia. Mumbai has around 2,400 registered patients who need blood one or twice a month. Obtaining blood units has been a major obstacle with people or their kin having to search for a replacement donor to get the required blood unit through a blood bank. 

National Service Scheme (NSS) conducts blood donation drives frequently in the city. Its director, Sudhir Puranik said that they would obtain around 300 to 400 blood units from their camps prior to the pandemic, but the number has now fallen to 30 to 50 units.   

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“We have started holding micro blood donation camps. Our volunteers visit just one society and counsel people to donate,” said Puranik. Using this method, volunteers can reportedly collect up to 25-30 units from a housing society. 

A donation camp organized by the railways on Tuesday generated around 330 units of blood. The blood donation drive was conducted in Bandra, Churchgate, and Dadar. Educational institutions like colleges and universities have also been approached to conduct similar donation camps among eligible students.

ReadCentral And Western Railway Employees Donate Blood

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