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The goal of the blood safety programme is to provide adequate safe blood and blood products to all the needy patients.
Objectives: To ensure reduction of transfusion-transmitted HIV infection to less than 0.5%.
Tamil Nadu leads in the country on voluntary blood donation programmes and quality blood supplies for patients. All donated blood is tested for HIV/HBV/Malari a/HCV/VDRL.
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In the state of Tamil Nadu, the availability of blood is ensured through an excellent network of 245 licensed blood banks which includes 83 government blood banks, 151 Voluntary / private Charitable-sector blood banks, 9 quasi-government/Central government blood banks and 2 ESI blood banks.
The state also has 53 government and 61 private Blood Storage Centres, which are permitted to store and issue blood to needy patients. These centres, however, cannot collect blood. They only help make available and accessible blood for the needy patients.
Tamil Nadu State Blood Transfusion Council and Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society have given ‘Regional Blood Transfusion Centre’ (RBTC) status to 69 private blood banks which can conduct blood donation camps and collect blood from donors, outside of the blood bank premises |
| Specific strategies for safe blood collection in Tamil Nadu |
| TANSACS and Tamil Nadu Blood Transfusion Council jointly work for the promotion of ‘Voluntary’ blood donation and ensure the availability of safe and quality blood, accessible to the needy |
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With support of the Red Cross Society, Youth Red Cross, Red Ribbon Clubs, Social Welfare Organization etc. to promote the voluntary blood donation movement |
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Use media, corporate houses, stars and celebrities to advocate and encourage voluntary donations |
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Facilitate Seminars, Workshops, Conference and Awareness programs for different community stakeholder regarding the importance of voluntary blood donation |
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Help prepare district-wise action plan for voluntary blood donation camps |
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Support capacity building and trained staff sufficiency at all blood banks for rendering self-sufficient and quality blood transfusion services |
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Assist accreditation of blood banks |
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Provide external Quality Assessment Scheme for HIV testing |
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Assist quality management programmes for blood transfusion services |
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| Supervision and Monitoring |
To improve the quality of blood transfusion services, both government and private blood banks are supervised by experts in the field of Transfusion Medicine from the government as well as the private sector, nominated as Supervisory Officers. Each Supervisory Officer is allotted 3 districts to take care of and he/she is responsible for the quality of all blood banks and blood storage centres in the relevant three districts. The Supervisory Officer is empowered with a detailed check list to make an on- site assessment and to identify any shortcomings or constraints.
This process helps to keep a check on the serviceability of blood bank equipments, assess blood donation camps, ensure smooth functioning of blood banks, track licensing status and assess quality practices in blood component separation units, blood banks and blood storage centres. |
| Support to Blood Banks |
| TANSACS provides human resource (Quality Assurance Manager, Technical Assistant, Lab Technician and Counsellor), Testing Kits & Reagent (HIV, Hbg-B, Hbg-C, Syphilis & group regents) and IEC material (Donor-group Cards, Donor and camp organizer appreciation certificates, Voluntary Blood Donation posters, Handouts etc.) support to all NACO-backed blood banks. It also provides donors refreshment and camp expenses support to all NACO- backed blood banks for their Voluntary Blood Donation Promotion programmes. |
| National Voluntary Blood Donation Day (October 1) |
| Every year, TANSACS, Tamil Nadu State Blood transfusion Council and Chennai AIDS Prevention and Control Society celebrate the national Voluntary Blood Donation Day on October 1, in all the districts of Tamil Nadu as well as at the state-level in Chennai. On this occasion, voluntary blood donation camp organizers, voluntary donors, training institutions, high-performing blood banks and institutions playing vital role in voluntary blood donation in Tamil Nadu are honoured. The government’s senior officials of the department of health like the Health Secretary, TANSACS Project Director and political and elected leaders participate in these felicitations. |
| World Blood Donors Day (June 14) |
| Every year World Blood Donors’ Day (June 14) is celebrated in collaboration with different stake holders in all the districts of Tamil Nadu by school and college-level competitions in slogan writing, drawing and elocution. On this occasion, blood donation camps are also organised in all districts. |
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