Mobile blood banks arrive in Rajasthan

JAIPUR: With a capacity to stock 300 bags of blood and space to accommodate four blood donors simultaneously, donating blood is set to be much more easier in the state.
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) on Wednesday provided the state with two state-of-the-art mobile blood banks, each worth Rs 1.2 crore.
Built inside a luxury bus, these mobile units are fully air-conditioned and ensure safe transfer of stored blood from the donation camp to the main blood bank.
“These buses will help in organising camps at multiple locations. Those intending to make a voluntary donation need not travel to a blood bank. These mobile units will be extremely useful in promoting voluntary donation in rural and remote areas,” said Dr P K Sharda, project director, Rajasthan State Aids Control Society (RSACS).
There are around 60 blood banks in the state, of which majority are located in the urban areas. Also most of the voluntary blood donation camps are organised in cities as transporting the stored blood safely to the blood bank remains a difficult task. The clean and hygienic conditions in the bus will also encourage those who felt hesistant in donating blood at camps in schools, and tents.
The blood bank at the SMS Medical College will be provided with one of the buses, while the unit could be attached to the government medical college blood bank in Udaipur. NACO has planned to provide over 32 mobile units across the country. While most states will get one such unit, larger states such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu will get two.
NACO flagged off the scheme on October 2. The buses have been provided to the state health department, however, it will take a month before these mobile units become operational.
“These buses have yet to go through the registration process, following which they will be transferred to the blood banks” said another health official. Due to the special size and built of the buses, the department will have to seek trained drivers and maintenance staff for mobile units.
According to health officials, encouraging voluntary donation remains a major task for the department.The present share of voluntary blood donation remains below 50% in the state.