Private doctors stock blood components for emergencies, although BMC claims a dip in malaria cases.
With the arrival of monsoon in the city, a plethora of ailments such as malaria and dengue too looms large.
This will increase the need for blood components, especially platelets, in hospitals.
Though private hospitals say that their blood banks are adequately stocked for cases of platelet transfusion, they assert that voluntary platelet donation could be of immense help.
“Currently, we stock 100 to 150 units of blood through camps at regular intervals. However, May and June have not seen much collection due to summer vacations,” said Dr Varsha Vadera, pathologist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri.
The city requires about 700 units of blood every day for planned surgeries, emergencies, treatment of malaria (especially falciparum) and dengue. Between January 2011 and March 2011, a total of 12,602 malaria cases were reported in the city.
The number of malaria cases dropped to 4,059 during the same period this year. The civic body claims that the cases will further decrease as they are better prepared this year.
But this claim has not made the doctors lax in stocking the blood components. “We are seeing at least 15 to 20 malaria cases a day. Out of which, five may require platelet transfusion at any time. Not more than 50 ml of platelets can be extracted from one unit of blood. Each malaria or dengue patient will thus require at least four blood donors to meet the requirement,” said Dr Vadera.
When acquiring components through a large number of random donors is not possible during emergencies, experts suggest that single donor platelets (SDPs) need to be tapped. “In SDP method, one platelet donor donates platelets equivalent to six to eight blood donors. SDPs are safer for transfusion as chances of contamination are less,” said Vinay Shetty of Think Foundation who has at least a hundred active platelet donors registered in the group.
“A person has to pay a minimum of Rs450 per unit for random donor platelet. Private hospitals charge more than Rs650 a unit as the state has not fixed any ceiling on prices as yet,’’ said a senior doctor of a private hospital who did not wish to be named.
Dr Sanjay Jadhav, director of State Blood Transfusion Council, Maharashtra, said that the increasing demand can only be met through voluntary blood donation. “In Mumbai, we are being able to supply 80% of requirement through voluntary donors. More people should come up to donate blood.”
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