Situation at Blood Banks Improves

Times of India
10 September 2009
By Swati Shinde & Chitra Nair
Pune, India

It was only last month that blood banks across the city were facing severe shortage of blood because of the outbreak of the H1N1 flu. However, things seem to have improved considerably since then.

Almost all the banks now report a steady rise in the number of voluntary donors but what has really made the difference they say is the ability to now conduct larger blood donation camps.

The Janakalyan Blood Bank, which supplies blood to 10 blood storage centres in the city, saw a rapid improvement in blood collection. “Ganesh mandals have been very helpful as we managed to collect nearly 700 units of blood during the 19 blood donation camps conducted during the 10–day festival. Besides, we even rang up our regular donors to come and donate blood at the blood banks as conducting camps was banned in the month of August. As a result, 150 units of blood was collected,” said Atul Kulkarni, director–in–charge of the blood bank.

During this period, when conducting camps was banned by the civic administration and schools and colleges in the city were shut down as a safety precaution, the Janakalyan Blood Bank went to rural areas of the district. Janakalyan conducted small camps in Baramati, Malegaon, Saswad, Daund, Shikrapur, Chakan, Shive, Kapurhol among others and managed to collect 400 units of blood.

The Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital Blood Bank also reported a steady increase in the number of donors. “We had organised four major blood donation camps in the past few days and have got quite a few donors turning up for the same. We have collected 117 units of blood through five camps held at different organisations and we plan to hold daily camps from September 14 to 19 at an IT major in the city. That apart the continuos media coverage by TOI has contributed to the increase in number of voluntary donors turning up at the blood banks itself which should continue,” said pathologist Sanjeev Ketkar, the blood transfusion officer of the blood bank.

Same sentiment was echoed by Rachana Deshpande, the president of the Indian Serological Institute (ISI) Blood Bank that has conducted almost 7–8 camps in the past 10 days. “We have collected around 300 units of blood only through these camps and we still have three more camps to be organised in the next few days,” she said.