State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) urges blood banks to prevent shortages in April-May

SBTC Maharashtra urges blood banks to organize donation camps due to summer holidays & elections, aiming to prevent shortage during peak demand months.

Mumbai: Ahead of Lok Sabha assembly elections and summer holidays, the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) Maharashtra has asked all blood banks to ensure they have enough blood. In a letter dated April 4, the SBTC advised blood banks to organise blood donation camps since schools and colleges are closed.

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Mahendra Kendre, assistant director, SBTC said, “College students are an important source of blood donation. However, colleges have holidays in April and May. Also, many blood donors are out of town as schools are on vacation. Every year, we see the blood banks struggling because of the shortage of blood in April-May. This year, we decided to send a circular to all blood banks to make a plan on organising voluntary blood donation camps and be prepared.”

He added that they have also emphasised on blood banks sending vehicles to housing societies for blood collection. According to the SBTC official, the daily blood unit requirement for Mumbai alone is between 500-700 units and the city needs close to 25000 donors to donate blood every month. The whole blood and most of the other blood components have a shelf life of up to 45 days. “Every year, during festival season and summer vacations, the blood banks see a shortage of blood and thalassemia patients get the most affected. These patients need a blood transfusion almost after every 21 days. It is good news that the state is planning to have a policy for blood collection,” said Vikas Vira, NGO Tarun Mitra Mandal, who has been organising blood donation camps.

Welcoming SBTC’s circular to blood banks, Vira said SBTC should ensure that the blood banks organise voluntary blood donation camps for the months the city sees crisis every year.

“Just a circular won’t be enough. We have noticed that the blood banks do not organise such camps and every year struggle with blood shortage. This year, we are also having elections. As an NGO, we have already made blood donation camp plans for the next two months. We aim to collect 6000 blood units in the next two months. From this coming Sunday, we have planned voluntary blood donation camps,” he said.