Jaipur: SMS Medical College is set to strengthen voluntary blood donation after the Rajasthan Blood Transfusion Council (RBTC) directed blood banks not to seek replacement donors for pregnant women, a move expected to reduce the institution’s reliance on patients’ relatives for blood collection.The July 23 directive aims to ensure timely access to blood during obstetric emergencies without requiring families to arrange replacement donors.The Department of Immunohematology and Transfusion Medicine (DITM) at SMS Medical College collects nearly one lakh units of blood annually for hospitals attached to the college, including Zenana Hospital and Mahila Chikitsalaya, two of the state’s busiest maternity centres. Around 10,000 units are used each year for pregnant women admitted to SMS-affiliated hospitals, many of whom require emergency transfusions during delivery-related complications.At present, voluntary donors contribute about 40% of the blood collected at SMS, while replacement donations from patients’ relatives and attendants account for the remaining 60%. Officials said this balance is expected to shift following the RBTC directive.Dr Devraj Arya, head of DITM at SMS Medical College, said the institution will intensify efforts to mobilise voluntary donors. “Since blood collection from replacement donations will decrease after the RBTC order, we will focus more on voluntary blood donation. We will ask organisations involved in blood collection to support govt blood banks through camps and other voluntary donation drives,” he told TOI.The college plans to hold meetings with voluntary organisations, NGOs, donor networks and camp organisers to increase collections at govt blood banks. Officials said these groups will be encouraged to organise more donation camps, mobilise regular donors and strengthen the voluntary donor pool to meet year-round demand.SMS Hospital requires blood every day for major surgeries, trauma and accident cases, cancer treatment, thalassaemia patients and maternity emergencies. Thalassaemia patients alone require nearly 30,000 units annually from the SMS blood bank, with these transfusions already being provided without insisting on replacement donors.Officials said the immediate priority is to ensure adequate blood availability for pregnant women while maintaining sufficient stocks for other high-demand patient groups across SMS hospitals.
