India made significant strides in strengthening blood transfusion services: Anupriya Patel

Replying to a question by Rajya Sabha member Ajeet Madhavrao Gopchade on blood banks and human safety on February 4, Patel said that the country has established multi-tiered system to ensure safe and efficient blood transfusion services.

"India has made significant strides in strengthening its blood transfusion services, ensuring safer and more readily available blood for patients nationwide. This progress reflects the Government's unwavering commitment to this critical area of healthcare," the MoS said.

"India has established a comprehensive framework for blood transfusion services. A multi-tiered system is designed to ensure the safe and efficient operation of blood transfusion services nationwide," Patel added.

These include measures such as mandatory testing for five TTIs, expansion of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), proposed capital blood centers, National External Quality Assessment (EQA) programme expansion, and transition to a community-based approach.

While the government has placed a complete ban on professional blood donation, every unit of collected blood undergoes mandatory testing for five transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) -- HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis, and Malaria, Patel said.

Further, to improve the detection of blood-borne infections and enhance blood safety, the government expanded NAT facilities to prominent national and state institutions. NAT is a technology that can identify infections in donated blood -- crucial to ward off the risks from the five TTIs.

"Nearly half of Indian states now have at least one government facility equipped with NAT testing," Patel said.

"The government has also proposed the establishment of advanced capital blood centres in each state, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities (including NAT, molecular labs, HLA labs, etc.) to centralise and modernise blood banking infrastructure in a phased manner," she added.

Meanwhile, the EQA programme is being expanded to all States and Union Territories to ensure adherence to high standards in blood transfusion practices. These EQA centres will also have NAT testing facilities, Patel said.

To make it easier and more convenient for people to donate blood, the government has deployed mobile blood collection buses that reach the doorsteps of donors. The initiative has broadened community participation and helped increase voluntary blood donations.

Blood transfusion services are also being increasingly integrated into overall patient care. This collaborative approach ensures that blood transfusions are administered appropriately and effectively as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, Patel said.