Over 600,000 litres of blood wasted in 5 years due to lack of co-ordination

In 2016-17, over 6.57 lakh units of blood and its products were discarded

Over 2.8 million units of blood and its components were discarded by banks across India in the last five years, highlighting some serious loopholes in the country's blood banking system, reported Times of India.

When calculated in litres, the cumulative wastage of 6 per cent translates into over 600,000 litres — a volume enough to fill up 53 water tankers.

India on average faces a shortfall of 3 million units of blood annually. Lack of blood, plasma or platelets often leads to maternal mortality as well as deaths in cases of accidents involving severe blood loss.

Maharashtra,