Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh is to have more number of blood centres, apart from blood banks, for the benefit of patients in need of whole blood and its various components. Their addition is expected to remove the shortage in blood supply and help save patients.
There are 40 blood centres in the state at present and 10 blood storage centres throughout the state. However, seven more blood storage centres are going to be upgraded as blood centres in the financial year 2022–23. If all proposed blood storage centres are upgraded as blood centres, AP will have 57 blood centres, helping needy patients a lot.
A blood centre is nothing but a blood bank, as previously called. It has facilities for blood donation, bleeding, separation of various blood components and storage for subsequent supply to needy patients. Blood storage centres are those meant for only storage of blood and its supply to patients.
As of 2021-22, AP has 174 blood centres. Of them, 134 exist are in private sector. Likewise, the state has 111 blood storage centres under government control. There is, however, approval to open as many as 65 new blood storage centres. State health authorities are in the process of establishing them by procuring requisite equipment.
At the same time, 17 blood storage centres are being upgraded as the blood centres.
State health authorities say there is huge demand for whole blood and its various components owing to road accidents as also treatment of various health problems. State government is thus taking up upgradation of existing blood storage centres located in area and district hospitals, so that blood is accessible to patients immediately.
There is also a proposal to set up 25 more blood storage centres in financial year 2022–23.
A senior health official said, “It will be ideal to have blood centres and blood storage centres in the ratio of 1:2, so that whole blood and various components of the blood are available to patients, unlike the present situation in some districts. where only one or two blood centres are available. This makes it difficult for patients to promptly get blood and its components,” the official pointed out.
