In order to collect and assess information on undesirable effects due to therapeutic use of blood components during blood transfusion, the National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) in association with Maharashtra state drugs control department is planning to train around 300 blood banks in Maharashtra to adopt Haemovigilance Programme of India (HvPI) for making safe blood accessible to the common man. There are 2760 licensed blood banks in the country as of today and currently 207 blood banks are registered with HvPI.

The programme envisages to make the blood bank officials across the state to understand the process of reporting adverse reactions to NIB due to blood transfusion to the recipient/patient through a software developed by IT division of NIB.

Having started with a budgetary allocation of Rs. 29 crore under the 12th Five Year Plan at the national level in December 2010, an official says, HvPI will be propagated in a phased manner in Maharashtra covering 200 blood banks in the initial phase out of the total 303 blood banks and 3 cord blood banks. The blood bank officials will be given hands on training on the reporting process alongside the CMEs conducted as a part of the programme, the official informed.

"With the implementation of the programme, we would be able to allay fears in the minds of the blood bank officials related to reporting of adverse reactions during blood transfusion by sensitising and training them. Blood bank staff has not been reporting adverse reactions due to blood transfusion out of the fear of being penalised among other factors. Awareness about haemovigilance will gradually develop with these training programmes and blood banks will adopt it," says an official associated with the development.

More than 2200 adverse reactions have been reported till date through a form called as Transfusion Reaction Reporting Format (TRRF) which is linked to the NIB through a software named Haemovigil at the national level. A standard practice in many countries, haemovigilance is aimed at keeping details pertaining to collection, investigation, its analysis and transfusion of blood or blood components. It also documents adverse reactions to recipients and the people handling the vital fluid.

NIB is an autonomous institution under the Union health ministry which ensures quality of biologicals and vaccines in the country available through domestic manufacturers or imports. HvPI at the national level was launched by NIB and is serving as the national co-ordinating centre (NCC) in 90 medical institutions within the country to track adverse reactions associated with blood transfusion and blood product administration.

HvPI aims to identify trends in adverse reactions and events, thereby to form transfusion policy, target areas for improvement in practice, stimulate research, raise awareness of transfusion hazards, give an early warning of new complications to improve safety of transfusion for patients.

Such information is also key to introduce required changes in the applicable policies, improve standards, systems and processes, assist in the formulation of guidelines, and increase the safety and quality of the entire process from donation to transfusion. It is a boon for hospital deans and directors, major blood users among the clinicians and blood bank officers from all government, municipal and private hospitals, drug regulators, officials from other government and municipal agencies.