Blood banks should display price range of blood groups, their availability: SBTC

In order to provide detailed information about blood units available at the 331 blood banks across Maharashtra, out of which 59 is located in the city, to relatives of patients, the State Blood Transfusion Committee (SBTC) has directed all the blood banks to display information about the available blood units and group names at the entrance of the centres.

“To prevent relatives of patients from being exploited during medical emergencies, we have written a letter to all blood banks in Maharashtra to display the information of blood availability, blood groups available and the price range for the blood groups,” said Dr Arun Thorat, Director, SBTC

This move comes after patients’ kin have complained of being made to run around from one blood bank to another and still failing to get blood due to shortage.

Earlier, all blood banks were asked to upload daily data of blood stock available in their banks, but it was observed that most of the banks failed to do so due to which SBTC issued a letter and have collected recent data of blood stock available at the banks to upload on their website.

“We have collected the data of blood units and groups available at all the blood banks which will be uploaded on our SBTC website. By doing this it will become easy for a patient’s kin to check at which bank there is blood unit stock and blood group available,” he added.

Dr Thorat further added that they were updating their website and soon all blood banks would have to update the available stock on their website everyday. “All blood banks have been directed to live update the stock availability of blood units and groups. Moreover they have to display the information of blood stock and price at their entrance,” added Dr Thorat.

Last year, 27,193 blood donation camps were held across Maharashtra from which they managed to get 16,02,690 units of blood.