Last Updated on January 14, 2024 by The Health Master
New Delhi: Faced with a shortage of blood and blood components across healthcare facilities in India, the Centre has allowed voluntary blood donation camps to be organised after following strict social distancing measures.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued detailed guidelines to ensure there is no shortage of blood and donors can come out during lockdown to donate blood. The National Blood Transfusion Council, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has written to blood banks, hospitals and state governments to ensure that adequate reserves are maintained.
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As first reported by ET on April 1, the blood banks have stocks to last up to 25-30 days. There is shortage of blood as blood banks run on voluntary donations and due to lockdown camps have not been organised. Hospitals have resorted to seeking donations from their own staff members.
Seeing this scenario, National Blood Transfusion Council director Shobini Rajan has written, “Blood centres, the world over, are dependent on voluntary blood donation from healthy individuals to meet their blood supplies. Since there continues to be a demand for blood and blood components… it is essential that supplies of safe blood continue to be maintained at licensed blood centres in the country.”
