6 lakh litres of blood wasted
in 5 years
In the last five
years, over 28 lakh units of blood and its components were discarded by banks
across India, exposing serious loopholes in the nation's blood banking system. If calculated in
litres, the cumulative wastage of 6% translates to over 6 lakh litres - a
volume enough to fill up 53 water tankers.
India faces, on average, a shortfall of 30 lakh units of blood annually. Lack of blood, plasma or platelets often leads to maternal mortality as well as deaths in cases of accidents involving severe blood loss.
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were among the worst offenders, discarding not just whole blood but even red blood cells and plasma as the life-saving components could not be used before their expiry date. In 2016-17 alone, over 6.57 lakh units of blood and its products were discarded. The worrying part is that 50% of the wasted units were of plasma, which has a shelf life of one year, much longer than the 35-day deadline by which whole blood and red blood cells have to be used.
The spoilage has been laid bare in data provided by the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) in response to an RTI query filed by petitioner Chetan Kothari. Maharashtra, which is the only state to have crossed the one-million mark vis-a-vis collection of blood units, also accounted for the maximum wastage of whole blood, followed by West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Maharashtra, UP and Karnataka bagged the top three positions in the wastage of red blood cells. UP and Karnataka also wasted the maximum units of fresh frozen plasma.In 2016-17, over 3 lakh units of fresh frozen plasma were discarded, which is surprising given that the product is imported by several pharma companies to produce albumin.
While Naco
officials could not be reached for an official comment, a senior health
ministry official told TOI that Naco had allowed banks to transfer units last
year. "In 2016-17, there is a near 17% fall in wastage. Also, hospitals
have to keep blood in emergency reserve to deal with mass casualties," the
officer said.
25.04.2017
To improve is to change; to be
perfect is to change often
Winston Churchill
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