Govt planning centres for transfusion medicine in 4 metros

The Centre is planning to set up four centres of excellence for Transfusion Medicine as part of a Metro Blood Bank Project, Parliament was told today.
"The government is planning to set up four centres of excellence in Transfusion Medicine in Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata under a central sector project called Metro Blood Bank Project," Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
The Upper House was also told that around 48 districts in 13 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, have no blood banks.
The minister said that while the total number of licensed blood banks in the country is 2,545, the number of Department of AIDS Control-supported blood banks stands at 1,137 for the year 2013-14.

"Communication has been sent to the states to set up blood banks in districts without blood banks. Instructions have also been issued to make blood storage centres functional and provide linkage with existing blood banks in their vicinity," Vardhan said.