Over 600,000 litres of blood wasted in 5 years due to lack of co-ordination

In 2016-17, over 6.57 lakh units of blood and its products were discarded

Over 2.8 million units of blood and its components were discarded by banks across India in the last five years, highlighting some serious loopholes in the country's blood banking system, reported Times of India.

When calculated in litres, the cumulative wastage of 6 per cent translates into over 600,000 litres — a volume enough to fill up 53 water tankers.

India on average faces a shortfall of 3 million 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.

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.

In 2016-17, over 657,000 units of blood and its products were discarded.

In 2016-17, over 300,000 units of fresh frozen plasma were discarded, which is surprising given that the product is imported by several pharma companies to produce albumin.

Dr Zarine Bharucha of the Indian Red Cross Society pointed out that a collection of up to 500 units was acceptable and manageable.

"But we have seen and heard of camps where 1,000 to 3,000 units are collected... Where is the place to store so much blood?" she added, "Why can't people walk into regular banks and donate once every three months?" she said.

Dr Satish Pawar, head of the directorate of health services in Maharashtra, said that the wastage could be attributed to a "noble health plan to curtail maternal deaths".

"We have created more than 200 storage centres in interior areas for emergencies... We would rather be prepared to save a life than worry about unused units of blood," he said. 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 the emergency reserve to deal with mass casualties," the officer said.