“Despite the availability of newer generation of screening tests for blood/blood products there still remains the risk of transfusion transmitted diseases,” stated Lt. Gen Ramji Rai, director AFMC, Pune. He was speaking at the inaugural function of the three-day (5th -7th Dec.)- “National live hands on workshop on stem cell and blood component manufacture’’ organized by the department of transfusion medicine, AFMC in Pune.

In his keynote address he further stressed, “Our aim should be to achieve an acceptable minimum risk, rather than an impossible zero risk of these infections transmitted through transfusion of blood /blood products.”

The world is witnessing the novel cytotherapy offered by stem cell transplantation in certain genetic haematological disorders as well as in malignances, added he. “These days, effective blood transfusion therapy depends on the availability of different blood components. A single unit of whole blood offers different components, thereby avoiding the use of unnecessary blood components,” pointed out Lt Gen Rai.

Dwelling on the achievements of AFMC, Pune, he said that department of blood transfusion at AFMC has the capability to offer therapeutics modalities to patients with moderate success. The department has performed 47 harvesting and cryobanking procedures in 19 patients out of whom 12 cases have engrafted well. In addition, cases of allogenic transplants have also been performed, one in case of Thalassaemia major and the other two in cases of chronic myeloid leukemia.

During the inauguration the donors/recipients who have undergone stem cell transplantation, were also felicitated by Air vice marshal KS Soodan, dean, AFMC.