Soon, a Government hospital located at the Civil lines will no longer depend on other blood banks in the city to separate blood platelets, red blood cells and plasma from the blood. The State Government has given the go ahead to the district administration to upgrade city hospital's blood component separation unit to meet the demand for blood components among patients admitted in it and other needy patients.
According to an official, the process for acquiring the necessary equipment to enable blood component separation is underway. The official of the city hospital has sent a proposal to the State Government to install the machine in the hospital. The estimated cost of the machine is around Rs 40 lakh.
The officials said patients need blood components as per their requirements. For example, in case of dengue, the patients need platelets while burn victims need plasma. Platelets are required in large quantities during dengue.
“Platelet separation takes 3 to 4 hours per person. So if there are more such public facilities, it will ease the burden of procuring the blood component from the market and with the help of this machine every unit of blood can help four different patients,” an official with the health department said.
The machine has been used extensively for the benefit of patients suffering from cancer who lose blood count following chemotherapy.
The blood bank at the hospital had been getting a good number of units of blood for patients admitted to the hospital. But, it had to rely on the blood component separation facility at blood banks in private hospitals.
The official said the new blood component separator helped separating blood platelets, red blood cells, plasma from a blood donor. As of now the hospital equipment at the blood bank can only take platelets from the donor.
“Once the new instrument will be upgraded in the hospital we will be capable of providing quality blood components to those admitted to the hospital and also other needy persons admitted in remote areas hospitals in the district,” Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr B K Rajora, said.