Mumbai: There is great relief news for Thalassemia patients and their families. Now the private blood banks of MMR will have to keep the unit blood reserve prescribed by the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) for the patients suffering from the said disease and as per the need of the patients or their nearest day care. Free to be sent to the center.
Thalassemia patients suffering from serious blood disease require blood every 15 days. According to the rules, these patients should be given free blood, but many blood banks in the city take money from the patient or they are asked to bring a blood donor. SBTC, which runs blood banks, has received many complaints in this regard. In such a situation, SBTC has linked 2 to 4 private blood banks of the city with nearby Thalassemia ‘Day Care Center’ to make the patient and their families hassle-free.
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Instructions given to blood banks
Blood banks have been directed to send the prescribed blood units twice a month to the day care centers for Thalassemia patients. There should be coordination between the sending blood bank and the receiving blood bank (day care centre) and both have to maintain the data of blood exchange and delivery.
Patients will suffer less
SBTC Assistant Director Dr. Arun Thorat said that we are noticing for the last several months that only some blood banks give free blood to Thalassemia patients, some very little, some demand money and donors. Patients suffer a lot due to these conditions, so we have linked all private blood banks with blood banks in government and BMC hospital which also have Thalassemia Day Care Center. Now every month the prescribed unit of blood will have to be given to the linked BMC and government blood banks to the private blood banks. That is, the running of the patient will be almost non-existent. Blood will be given to the patients free of cost and they will not even need to bring a donor. Blood banks not following the rule will get the NOC certificate canceled by SBTC.
2,200 patients in MMR
According to SBTC officials, there are around 2,200 thalassemia patients in MMR. He has to have blood transfusion every 15 days. Treatment of many poor children and blood transfusion work continues in the day care center of BMC and government hospital. Each private blood bank will have to keep a reserve of 10 to 30 units of blood and give it to the linked blood banks every month.