The Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) has released a draft State Blood Policy & Implementation Framework, and has invited suggestions from all stakeholders on it.
Though the State has a high ratio of blood banks to population compared to the national average with 295 blood banks and 93% of its annual collection is reported to be through voluntary donations, there are several challenges, including lack of standardised donor counselling and registration, as well as screening and collection-related issues.
The draft policy, said K. Senthil Raj, project director, TANSACS, aims at ensuring universal access to blood and components, as well as implementing quality management systems in all blood banks. “The draft policy has been uploaded on the TANSACS website and on the National Health Mission website. Any member of the public is welcome to give suggestions. After 21 days, the feedback will be taken into consideration and a final policy released,” he said.
