Baripada: A whopping 1,147 units of blood collected through Baripada Blood Bank had to be destroyed in the last seven years as they were found infected, according to official sources.
The blood bank managed to collect 52, 494 units of blood from 603 camps held between 2010 and 2017 October end. Out of the
total units of blood destroyed, 334 packets were found infected with sexually transmitted diseases while 169 sachets had Hepatitis B virus. Similarly, 68 packets were found with HIV, 60 with Hepatitis C and 57 with malaria germ, officials said. There is also a practice to destroy the blood packets if they are more than 35-days old, a blood bank official said.
Mayurbhanj District Headquarters Hospital has now turned Pandit Raghunath Murmu (PRM) Medical College and Hospital. While the students here attend theory classes in the new building at Rangamatia, the practical classes are being held at the DHH.
The hospital authorities claim there is a lot of improvement in patient service after the hospital transformed into a medical college. Many patients of West Bengal and Jharkhand also now depend on PRM Medical College as Mayurbhanj is a border district of Orissa, claim the authorities.
On the other hand, the importance of Baripada Blood Bank has increased manifold with the rising number of road mishap victims and other patients.
Various NGOs and political parties regularly organise blood donation camps to meet the demand and the infected blood units are destroyed routinely.
According to Baripada Blood Bank sources, 5,163 units of blood were collected from 45 camps in 2010. Of them, nine units were destroyed as they were found infected. Similarly, 50 units from a total collection of 5,630 units in 2011, 88 units of 5,979 collected in 2012, 72 units of 5,858 collected in 2013 were destroyed.
In 2014, of 7,434 units, 131 were destroyed while 172 of 8,034 units went into drain in 2015. Likewise, 268 units from a total collection of 8,125 units in 2016 and 358 units of 6,272 units collected in 2017 were of no use as they were found infected.
Blood officials said they inform the donors personally if the collected blood is found defective.
However, it is not possible to examine the blood sample of a donor before drawing the blood in a camp due to shortage of time, blood bank officer Dr Mahesh Biswal said.
It is not only the case of Baripada Blood Bank, several units of blood in the blood banks of Udala, Rairangpur and Karanjia were also found infected, sources said. PNN
