News

Volume 2 Issue 13 - July 01, 2004

Delhi's hospitals are hoping for a brighter future

DNIS News Network -- Following International Donor day, Delhi’s blood transfusion services are hoping that technology can help the City improve its donation statistics.

At the moment the city lags behind most others in India with only 25 per cent of the required blood resources coming from voluntary donation. The national figure in India is closer to 45 per cent, while in some places it is far higher: for example in West Bengal voluntary donation accounts for as much as 90 per cent of the area’s requirements.

Health secretary Shri JVR Prasada Rao has said the government is committed to providing the necessary funds and infrastructure required to ensure improvements.

The intention is to set up a computerised network for all blood banks in the city. Once in place, this should provide doctors with accurate and up-to-date knowledge of the blood supplies available in Delhi at any time. Such information would ensure that their needs could be met instantly.

At the moment the numerous blood banks in Delhi all function independently of each other and doctors do not know where the stocks their patients need are to be found.

Dr S.P. Agarwal, director general health services has estimated that 10 per cent of maternal mortality could be avoided if sufficient blood supplies were available. Thalassaemics and people with haemophilia are also dependent on regular supplies of blood. The proposed improvement in the management of blood supplies would therefore potentially save thousands of lives each year.