Pune: Over the past two decades, between 2001 and 2024, Maharashtra has witnessed a dramatic increase in blood unit collection, largely attributable to a significant rise in organised blood donation campaigns.Data from the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) reveals a substantial jump from just 7,300 blood donation campaigns in 2001 to over 35,000 in 2024. Consequently, the annual blood stock in the state’s blood banks has surged from 7.01 lakh units to an impressive 21.68 lakh units.SBTC officials attributed this increased demand for blood to a rise in complex medical procedures, particularly organ transplants and post-trauma operations. “Thanks to better awareness of blood donation among the general public, the response to blood donation camps is much better,” said Dr P Puri, additional director, health services. “The stock in state blood banks has also improved, and there is proper coordination and streamlining in the allocation of blood units.” Specifically, in 2001, 7.01 lakh units of blood were collected through 7,395 camps. By 2024, this figure had risen to 21.68 lakh blood units collected via 35,812 camps, with the majority sourced from voluntary donations.According to a report by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the highest demand for blood units nationwide stemmed from medical conditions such as nutritional anaemia, oncological conditions, GI bleeds, hemolytic bleeds, end-stage renal diseases, bone marrow transplants, plasmapheresis, and leukaemia.Adult cardiac surgeries, organ transplants, oncology surgeries, orthopaedic elective and emergency surgeries, skin and soft tissue surgeries, and paediatric cardiac surgeries are among the procedures requiring most blood.
