Guwahati, April 7: Patients from the Northeast will no longer have to rush to the metros in search of blood components — red blood cells, platelets, fresh frozen plasma, platelet-rich plasma and cryo-precipitate.
With Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi today inaugurating the region’s first state-of-the-art model blood bank at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), one of the biggest problems faced by patients needing blood is expected to be solved. The blood bank will also function as a regional transfusion centre.
Guwahati, which has a population of 15 lakh, requires 300 units of blood daily. The GMCH itself requires approximately 75 to 100 units of blood each day. The new centre has been set up by the National Aids Control Organisation as part of its plan to set up 10 model blood banks across the country.
“We can now separate the different components of blood — red blood cells, platelets, fresh frozen plasma, platelet rich plasma and cryo-precipitate. In the absence of such facilities, we used to give patients whole blood,” Habibul Islam, associate professor of pathology at the GMCH.
Anaemic patients require red blood cells, while platelets are administered to patients suffering from diseases caused by platelet deficiency. Fresh frozen plasma is required for blood-clotting mechanism defects and cryo-precipitates are administered to haemophiliacs.
“An integrated and well-organised blood transfusion service that can ensure safe blood and associated products is essential in any healthcare-delivery system,” K.N. Baruah, principal of the GMCH, said.
Equipped with the latest technology and trained personnel, the new centre will form a network with satellite blood centres. Professional blood donors allegedly operate in most private hospitals and even the GMCH. Though the official rate is Rs 50 per bottle, it is sold for as much as Rs 1,500. “Blood is often administered without the mandatory tests,” Islam said.