Last Updated on January 6, 2024 by The Health Master
15 years after the release of the National Standards for Blood Centres and Blood Transfusion Services for the first time, the ministry of health and family welfare has released the updated edition of the standards, incorporating the developments in blood collection, storage, and transfusion technologies and regulatory changes in the segment.
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) first released the Standards for Blood Centres in the year 2007, as a guiding document to establish uniform standard practices across various blood banks and improve the availability, accessibility, safety, and quality of blood and blood products in the country.
The work for the second edition was initiated by the NACO, and taken forward by the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) under the leadership of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Over time, the Blood Transfusion Services has been transferred under the office of the DGHS. The new edition has been developed with the support of a technical committee chaired by Dr. Nabajyoti Choudhury, medical director and unit head of Assam Cancer Care Foundation, Guwahati.
For the quality, safety, and efficacy of blood and blood products, well-equipped blood centers with adequate infrastructure and trained manpower are essential requirements.
To achieve these objectives, it is essential to have appropriate updated standards for the blood centers, said Union minister for health and family welfare Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya in his message in the new edition.
“I am happy to note that the first standards for blood transfusion services were brought out long back in 2007, which are nearly one and a half decades old now.” “Since the world is changing very fast, there is a need to keep pace with the changing technologies globally,” said the Minister.
Blood transfusion services are a vital part of the healthcare delivery system in any country. Transfusion of blood and components is a life-saving procedure for patients during emergencies and non-emergency situations, especially for children suffering from blood disorders like thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, etc.
There have been significant developments in the field of blood transfusion in the last few decades, and now this specialty has been renamed “Transfusion Medicine,” he added.
The second edition of the standards will further the cause of improvement in blood and blood products, said Prof (Dr) Atul Goel, director general of health services.
“The scope of these standards includes all aspects of transfusion medicine with special emphasis on Good Laboratory Practices, Quality Management Systems, Updated Regulatory Requirements, and Hemovigilance.”
Blood centers can adopt and implement them to achieve optimal blood and blood product safety for patients in need,” said Goel. The document has been prepared with the technical support of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) India country office.
The second revised edition of National Standards has been skilfully prepared, incorporating the latest technical and regulatory developments, said Rajesh Bhushan, secretary, department of health and family welfare.
The revised edition has elaborate chapters on external services and supplies, bedside transfusion practices, special procedures, hemovigilance, and others, along with standards and quality guidance on various segments where the latest technologies have brought in changes over the last one and a half decades.
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