1% of CM’s insurance scheme funds sought for blood banks

‘This will improve rate of voluntary donation’

To give voluntary blood donation a boost in the State, the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) is planning to ask for 1% of the funds from the Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) to be given to blood banks.

TANSACS project director K. Senthil Raj said this would help thebanks increase their programmes for blood donation, take care of charges for refreshments given to donors and help with testing facilities. “Many blood banks do not receive funds from the CMCHIS at present. 1% of the funds, if directed to the State Blood Transfusion Council, would go a long way towards helping with increasing donation drives and ensuring 100% of blood is collected through voluntary donations,” he said.

There are 89 blood banks in government hospitals and medical colleges across the State, apart from eight Central government blood banks and 196 private ones. In 2016-17, a total of 3,49,566 units of blood were collected through 4,090 voluntary blood donation camps conducted by government blood banks in the State.

Of the overall blood collected, 49% was from the government sector, and the rest from the private sector, Dr. Senthil Raj said.

“In the government sector, about 95% of the blood is through voluntary donation. We want to make this 100%. But in the private sector, a lot of the blood is through replacement donations. Voluntary donation should be boosted here too,” he said.

Blood transfusion officer

The Sate Blood Transfusion Council, in a recent meeting, also discussed the designating of one senior blood bank medical officer from each district as a district blood transfusion officer to oversee the functioning of all blood banks in that district.

Additional funds would be very useful to bring in more counsellors and social workers, who could motivate blood donors, said S. Subash, head of the blood bank at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.