Tamil Nadu - Others   

New equipment for blood bank

Staff Reporter

PUDUKOTTAI: The Government Blood Bank here has received two new equipments — one to store unscreened blood collected from blood donation programmes and another to exclusively store blood component plasma.

The Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society, an organisation formed under the aegis of the Government of Tamil Nadu, has supplied the "blood bank refrigerators" to the Government Blood Bank.

Over 300 units of unscreened blood could be stored in one `blood bank refrigerator', while the second one is specially designed fridge which could store around 250 units of plasma component under minus 30 degree centigrade for a period of one year, the Government Blood Bank, Medical Officer (in-charge), G. Edwin, told The Hindu here.

The blood bank is already equipped with a refrigerator to store `fully screened' blood, a computer, an Elisa reader and a printer, Ice Liner and other necessary equipment.

Dr. Edwin said unscreened blood collected from various blood donation camps would be kept in a separate refrigerator. Once the screening was over to detect HIV, Hepatitis B, C, filaria, malaria and sexually transmitted disease, it would then be stored in the fridge meant to store `fully screened' blood.

Since the blood bank was yet to obtain licence for component separation, the plasma component would be obtained from the blood banks of Thanjavur and Madurai Government Medical College Hospitals. The plasma component, Dr. Edwin said, was used mostly for burns cases.

The blood bank had collected 1,200 units of blood from January to September, bulk of which was utilised by the Government Ranees Maternity Hospital in the town for pre-operative, post natal and caesarian cases.

He said a massive blood donation awareness campaign would be carried out across the district for over a month by organising cultural programmes in the rural areas and competitions for students on the theme blood donation.

The campaign commenced on Wednesday with a blood donation camp.

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