The Manipal Hospital Diagnostic Services Blood Bank is perhaps the largest in south India, which has still not been recognised by the Karnataka State Transfusion Council as a Regional Transfusion Centre (RTC) in spite of its pioneering efforts in blood banking. The Blood Bank has collected 31,000 units of blood in 2000 which is the highest in the country compared to CMC (Christian Medical College) Vellore where 15,000 units were colleted, followed by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) which had 20,000 units collected. All the blood collected by Manipal is primarily used within the hospital itself. But blood is supplied in emergencies to other government and private hospitals too.

Dr. C Shivaram, chief, transfusion services, Manipal Hospital Diagnostic Services Blood Bank, told Pharmabiz.com that several representations where made to the Karnataka State Transfusion Council to be approved as an RTC, yet nothing seems to have worked. In the absence of the recognition as RTC, Manipal Hospital Diagnostic Services Blood Bank is not authorised to conduct blood donations.

According to a Supreme Court, only the government blood banks, Red Cross and blood banks recognised by the State Transfusion Council can be registered as a Regional Blood Transfusion Centre. The law does not make any differentiation between blood banks, which receive aid, and no aid. It is gathered that Manipal Blood bank charges Rs, 500 for one unit of blood, which is lesser than the rates of other blood banks, which receive aid.

The Regional Blood Transfusion Centres are supported by the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), which include kits and equipments to conduct blood donation camps. Every month ample blood bags are dispatched along with reagents for HIV, hep B & C tests, anti seras for blood grouping cross matching. In addition, NACO also disburses salaries for two technicians working here.

Dr. Shivaram said that the daily requirement for blood is 500 units. But we are unable to meet the demand in the State where there are several blood banks who hardly function on account of a fall in the number of blood donors. "If we are acknowledged as an RTC then we could fill in the gaps of short blood supply."

There are around 122 blood banks in Karnataka and 52 of them are in Bangalore alone. But only a few blood banks collect blood components like Manipal Hospital, St. John's Rotary TTK, MS Ramaiah in the private sector and NIMHANS and Kidwai in the government sector.

There are two close competitors in blood banking for the Manipal Hospital Diagnostic Services Blood Bank- Kolkata-based Central Blood Bank and Prathama Blood Bank in Ahmedabad.

The decade-old Manipal Hospital Diagnostic Services Blood Bank, which commenced its services with a mere 300 donors a month now has 1000-1200 donors, informed Dr. Shivaram. "Our blood bank, which was set up at an investment cost of Rs. 1 crore has grown five-fold. The facility has installed three automatic blood-collecting monitors, which costs around Rs. 1.5 lakh each. There is also a Refrigerator Centrifuge manufactured by Sorvell, which can prepare blood components from 12 donors at time. This is unique to a blood bank in the State, he added.

The Manipal Hospital Diagnostic Services headed by Dr. P R Krishnaswamy, will also set up a Thalassaemia Transfusion Centre to cater to 200 patients in a month's time and will offer blood transfusion at subsidized rates. The blood bank has been providing around 30 to 40 units free of cost blood to Thalassaemia patients in the last two years.

It will also resume the A Pheresis, which is the selective removal of one component from a donor. But it is an expensive procedure.

The blood bank will also have a Haemonetics Cell Separator installed to salvage cells for the cardiac, neuro and other surgeries.

Dr. Shivaram has also been responsible for developing the first Blood Bank Information System software in Karnataka called Cabinet (Computer Aided Blood Banking Information Network Education, Teaching and Transfusion Medicine) which is installed in several blood banks like National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore Kidney Foundation, RSS and Wockhardt Hospital.

Cabinet helps to automate registration. It handles the required mandatory procedures that need to be sent to the Drugs Controller department and the NACO. Besides, it can give details of the donor enquiry. It can indicate an Anytime Blood Stock Position. Another feature of the software is that it maintains a record of the birthdays of the donors and greetings are sent automatically on pagers, mobiles etc.

Dr. Shivaram is also responsible for designing blood banks like Shushruta, Tata Blood Bank at the RIHP hospital in Amati in south Coorg and one at Kuppam is yet to come up.